The Bamboo Grove

I don’t usually play a lot of Nintendo DS games. My wife and son usually take the honor of playing these games. However, recently I bought the DS game “My Japanese Coach” for my son to get him more exposure to languages. After putting in the game and getting him setup as a user he was given a basic test to rate if and how much Japanese he knew.

Since my wife speaks some Japanese at home, and I speak some also he actually got a lot of the basic questions which was a nice surprise to me. At this point the game basically is broken into “lessons” and the first section is lessons 1-29. My son moved to lesson 5. For the next hour or so my son was consumed by the games and lessons and moved ahead 3 or so lessons. He retained a lot of the new words (maybe 30 or so) and was speaking and could understand them.

He took off to bed in the normal routine and after charging the DS a bit I took my turn. I have been speaking and studying Japanese off and on for about 16 years or so after I took it in college. I think of myself as mid-intermediate. I set up my account and took the test. I jumped to a lesson and took off.

My initial through (before I even opened up the game) was that this was pretty easy stuff and more for kids to use to start to learn a language. Wow was I wrong, and for the better. I was sucked into fun games, lessons, and training and really started to get into it. At the higher level it goes into verbs, adjectives, and the different writing styles (katakana, hiragana, and some Kanji).

This along with the game able to recognize Japanese writing was a really nice challenge. The writing system goes slow where you trace the characters with the stylus and after you trace it a few times it fades away and you have to write it without help. Even though I know all of the basic characters it really was nice to be able to practice my writing in a controlled manner. Then there are games to backup your writing with recognition games and speed.

I was only playing the game for few hours and I am only 10% in, it looks like ! The difficultly slowly raises, but it is a fun and an interactive way to memorize and retain the language. If you have kids or your want to study a language this is a great way to start the adventure. I have only done the Japanese version and do not know how the other versions of the coach compare.

Otode ne (see you later)…
Andrew

This morning out of the norm I could not sleep and was thinking about what to do about it. I decided to go to the gym and get some laps done in the pool. As I was doing my laps I got to thinking about people’s views on discipline and how it can affect our lives for the better. I know for myself I tend to try to focus myself and my discipline when doing physical things (mental too, but that is another post).

Again this morning in the pool it is evident in my mind when I push myself to 5 or 10 more laps. Especially when I start to get tiered and the body is trying to trick the mind into stopping. It is saying you have already done enough, or don’t push it, or the 1000 other things that go through one’s mind when it wants you to stop. However, it is the discipline to move forward and refocus on your goal of 25 or 30 or whatever number you are aiming for. This discipline is what tempers your mind into quietness and acceptance that you will finish what objects you set forth and will not stop unless something important stops you (electricity in the pool =), injury, etc).

As I went through this process that I have been going through my whole 23+ years in my Aikido training of one more repetition of the technique. Or why I should train tonight even though I am tiered I thought again, why is it as adults do we shy away from the disciplined life? Why does society tell us you need to relax and you work hard and you should go have a beer or ice cream to reward yourself? Could it be that we live our childhood always on schedules for school, soccer practice, and homework that we just need to relax and un-regiment ourselves as we get older? I am not sure. Trust me I understand relaxing and the need to decompress our lives from work and stress. However, I believe a lot of our stress, unhealthy lifestyle, and unnecessary pain is from having an un-disciplined life.

I have been doing Aikido for a little over 23 years at this point. Almost every week I have done at least 1-2 classes a week, and when younger and in college I was going to 2+4 classes six days a week. Was this time wasted. For me I feel that it was not, but I do not think twice about missing a certain class or not going down to the dojo on the nights that I practice. It is just part of who I am. There is probably a happy medium where you can build some discipline into your life by starting a martial art, swimming, or using your gym membership at least once a week. Once you get onto that you can start to see the results quickly and appreciate the added benefits of having healthy choices for your free time. This type of discipline can be good I believe into your older years and will pay you back double or triple what you put into it. Just my opinion. Try it out.

Andrew

From Thinking to Flowing

By Bob Lumley
testing for Gokyu

One of the most important things I took away from testing was not to over-think the technique and to just flow as best I could and let my body remember the hundreds (if not thousands) of times it has gone through the technique over the past year.

I remember before the test when John-san was practicing with me, I confused myself on Shomen-Uchi Ikkyo Ura because I was second-guessing myself as to where my feet should go. Once I stopped overanalyzing the technique and did what I had been practicing before, I became more comfortable and felt a stronger flow.

Another lesson re-learned is that waiting for one’s performance is more stressful than the actual performance itself.

I saw the importance of the uke’s role in testing as well as training. Les-san’s role as my uke was great. His experience, knowledge, and attitude certainly contributed to the success of my testing.

A Beginner’s View of Testing

By Keith Gremban
testing for Yonkyu

It’s been a few days since Aikido testing. What am I left with? How do I feel? Did I embarrass myself? Did I embarrass my seniors? Did I embarrass my Sensei?

Testing is a part of life. We’ve all taken tests since the day we entered elementary school. Yet, at least to me, there is a big difference between school testing and Aikido testing.

In school, each of us tests in private, and our answers are known only to ourselves and our graders. Our confusion, our stumbling for the answer, our false starts and mistakes are hidden from view. The scores are confidential. Success–or failure–is personal and private.

Aikido testing is different. In Aikido, as in other martial arts, we are tested in the open, exposed to the critical eyes of our instructors, seniors, peers, and juniors. Our performance is public, and our hesitations and mistakes are laid out for all to see. But this is as it should be. Aikido is a martial art. Aikido is about fighting. Aikido is about ignoring the urge to panic and instead reacting appropriately to the situation.

I’ve practiced other martial arts and taken tests before. It was easy to be calm and collected while sitting on the side of the mat, waiting for my turn. But, when my turn came and I moved onto the mat with John-san, who was my uke for the test, I felt my pulse increase and my muscles start to twitch. Despite telling myself that this was no big deal, that everyone in the room had been through testing and understood the pressure, I found myself getting nervous.

I tried to focus on my uke, but the faces and eyes around me clamored for my attention. The first technique was called out–Shomen-Uchi Ikkyo–and I was my own worst critic as I executed the technique stiffly and robotically.

“Crap!” “That was awful!” “I must look like a real beginner!” were among the thoughts that went through my mind.

Fortunately, John-san is a senior student and in good condition. He popped up off the mat and came at me again and again without giving me time to think about what I was doing.

It worked! Before long, I was too focused on execution to worry about who was watching, let alone what they were thinking. I have no idea how my techniques looked to the audience– all I know is that I executed the techniques as naturally as I could. Hey–I didn’t get hit!

I’m looking forward to seeing the video of testing so that I can judge my performance for myself.

An interesting discovery for me was realizing how much I could learn by watching other Aikidoka in their tests. In class, we get to watch Sensei execute techniques with the uke chosen for that technique. Then, we pair off and try the techniques with our partner.

In testing, I got to see how other students–ranging from beginners to black-belt candidates–execute techniques. I was amazed at how much I could learn from observation. Seeing the same technique executed by a number of individuals at different levels of experience allowed me to observe subtle differences that I would otherwise have never noticed. I’m looking forward to applying my observations in future practices.

Testing is stressful–no argument about that. But, the benefits outweigh the negatives. Testing helps prepare us for the mindset that will be needed in any fighting situation, and lets each of us understand where our strengths and weaknesses lie.

This Moment

By Kara Stewart
testing for Nikyu

Right after the test (ok, I admit: during the test) I was compiling quite a lengthy mental list of things I need to work on. Shuffling less in my suwari waza and hanmi handachi techniques and moving with more of the elegance I see in my Sensei and Sempai. Getting my Sankyo grip right the first time. Improving the vital entering aspect of my Irimi-Nage. Throwing out, not down. Being continually aware of Keith-san, my good-natured uke for the test. Bringing Zanshin to my work from the time we bow in to the time we bow out.

All good things, all things I will be working on in the coming days, months, and years.

As the days pass after the test, though, the technique list has quietly flown away, leaving space for all sorts of life lessons to come roost in my mind. Some notions fly in, barely slowing their wings as they chirp to get my attention before flying out the open back window. Others land on the top perch and start walking around, inspecting the place–looking for the nest they can spend some time in.

Taking care of this moment is one lesson that’s settling in for a lengthy stay.

During the test, I reminded myself to slow down and enjoy this moment. This wasn’t a race to simply check techniques off my list and get them over with. It was a chance to spend a few moments doing something I love with people who share this passion.

What a gift, I realized. Being able to test means I have two strong legs and two working arms, eyes to see my uke, ears to hear the swish of feet across the mats and the slap of an outstretched hand in a breakfall. What a blessing.

My test wasn’t perfect…but perhaps it was. In those few minutes on the mat, I learned more deeply that this moment is all I have. I can’t know what tomorrow will bring, much less the next hour. So for this moment, I will be present with what I’m doing, cherishing whatever opportunity is happening right now.

Whether it’s entering more deeply for Shomen-Uchi Irimi Nage, writing an article for work, spending time with a friend over lunch, or enjoying the company of my horses, this moment is the one that matters.

When the test was over, I yearned to bow in and test again, right then. Not so I could do better on a few techniques, but so I could spend a few more moments practicing Aikido for the joy of it.

This moment.

It’s here. It’s gone. So this moment, and the next and the next, I’ll choose to spend as wisely as I can.

Taking Things for Granted, Or How Did I Get Rug Burns on My Elbows?

By John Price
uke for Yonkyu test

At the end of testing this time around, I noticed my elbows felt like I’d scraped them across a carpeted floor over and over. Seeing as how there was no carpeting on the floor of the dojo, it had to be the fabric from the inside sleeves of my gi that rubbed my elbows raw.

I was Keith-san’s uke, and one of the techniques he did was Shomen-Uchi Ikkyo. This means pretty simple ukemi: you slide onto your stomach and then your side as the nage takes you down to the mat. No high-flying breakfalls from koshi waza here. Just follow the nage’s lead and go to the ground. Simple.

But then, if it’s that simple, why were my elbows complaining? I’d done ukemi from Ikkyo (and its brothers Nikyo, Sankyo, and Yonkyo) for several years now. Even when taken down rapidly by the senior students and Sensei, I’d never rubbed my elbows raw (nor really suffered any “injury” or pain…oh, there was the time my knee ground into the mat but that’s a story for another day). So what happened this time?

Lately my focus has been on my ukemi. It needs a lot of work. Breakfalls in particular are something I’m working on–my feet just don’t want to leave the mat. But until now, I’ve not thought a lot about simple ukemi from techniques like Ikkyo or Nikyo. After all, that ukemi was simple. What I needed to work on were the bigger things: my rotation point, following the nage’s lead, blending correctly.

My elbows have got me thinking differently. All those “bigger” things are there in “simple” ukemi from Ikkyo. I need to work on them there as well. I’ve taken this “simple” ukemi a bit too much for granted, looking past some of the basics that always need reviewing.

Truly, the bigger lesson learned here (or rather reaffirmed, as deep down I already knew it but hadn’t focused much on it lately) is that even the “simple” and “basic” things in Aikido need to be constantly revisited and looked at again with fresh eyes. Never take them for granted. There’s a life lesson here as well (isn’t that always so).

Testing Outside the Dojo

By Les Steveson
testing for Shodan

I like the reason behind testing. Testing not only prepares us for the dojo, but it also prepares us for challenges outside the dojo.

If we as students have no goals other than to accumulate time to make it to the next grade, we’re cheating ourselves in several ways. First, if that’s our mindset, we’re not really committing to the daily practice of a martial art. Testing pushes us to challenge ourselves to learn and improve our techniques and learn the language. Simply accumulating time will not offer that.

Also, a martial art should challenge us mentally, physically, and tactically. Through hours and hours of practice, we become good and can mentally push through anything. This sets us up to deal with physical challenges that also may present themselves.

A martial art at times is “hard” on the body and the mind. Just think of one time that you have hurt yourself and then pushed through. Without martial arts training, you may not have been able to do that. Of course, if we’re physically unable to workout, then we must step aside for awhile. Being unable to practice is when the mental preparation and discipline sets in. It is sometimes difficult to get hurt. We still we want to practice, practice, practice, but in reality we should be resting.

Through my years studying different martial arts, I’ve found it is always good to test for rank. The process brings the Sensei, students, and families together and makes them stronger. The reason is simple: because there is a bond of trust, loyalty, and respect within the martial arts community. Everyone should respect everyone just for the simple fact that they are a human being and everyone has something to offer.

I have a final thought on the benefits of the tactical challenges presented by studying a martial art. I believe we are always martial artists, whether we’re in the dojo or not. A lot of people who practice martial arts sometimes forget that even when they take their gi off, they still should be practicing martial arts, no matter where they are.

It’s easy to see an example of this.

The next time you go into a convenience store, notice how many people are unaware of what is going on around them. Look at them and think how easily they could become a victim of a crime because of their poor mental, physical, and tactical mindset. The committed study of a martial art could help these people develop more awareness and a safe mindset in their everyday lives. In my practice–whether it’s for an upcoming test or during the next Aikido class–if I plan for the unexpected, the unexpected never happens.

My dojo along with a few other dojos in the Colorado area (Tanshinjuku & CastleRock Aikido) have just finished testing this past weekend. For each of the students it is a important milestone in their progression in the art of Aikido. You can see and feel that all of the students that tested put in a lot of hard work, thought and growth in their techniques and basic understanding of the art. At the end of the day however we must all get back to the dojo and continue our trek down the path.

For some students it is very hard to get past the feeling of focusing their whole effort into preparing for the test. Also, a lot of instructors base their curriculum around these testing and narrow the focus of the student and the classes. I think of testing as one of the school’s many tools. This tool is to be used along with many other types of tools that we use to shape and form the basis of learning for each of the students. Testing is a very narrow focus in the scheme of Aikido. Yes, basics should always be focused and considered in our daily training, but it should not block our learning and our mental model of Aikido.

Aikido is a large expansive art that has so many components, techniques, and levels that to put all of Aikido into a few techniques for testing is impossible. As an instructor I believe the small set of techniques that are tested upon to one show that the student understands the names and execution of the techniques. Furthermore, can demonstrate their understanding of the techniques for the practice and reflection they have put into their training. If you see five people do a basic technique like Shomen-uchi ikkyo or a more advanced technique like Irimi-nage you should be able to see subtle differences in the way each of the students employ the techniques.

As a student you should always be looking through all the technique and try to learn the names of the techniques of all the levels below you and attempt to learn them for a few levels above. Then when your instructor teaches a technique during a training session you recognize the name and make an effort to focus on learning and practicing one or two distinctions that practice. Then next time that technique is taught try to work on what you learned or were working on from the last session and then pick one one or two more. So on a so forth. Over time you will have many ideas and concepts for a technique that you can then put into your daily practice. For instructors I think that we can use the testing process as one of our tools to help the students move forward along their paths. However, I believe we should not make this a focus for all their training. It may take a little longer, but the students with a broader understanding of the whole of Aikido will be much stronger and adjusted in the end.

- What do other people (students, instructors) think of testing, and how it helps or hurts training?

–ps congratulations to all the students who tested. Keep up the hard training!

During the last few weeks our dojo has been practicing the forward blending movements on shomen uchi. This is as the partner starts to raise their hands the nage (thrower) slides forward and places their hands on their partners wrist and elbow. This is to prepare for basic otoshi waza like Ikkyo, Nikkyo, etc…

You can really see that it is peoples nature to not be ahead or with their partner, but to wait until the strike has happened and respond there. Yes we need to be able to act after an attack or stimulus happens, but we will always be behind the power and speed. If we only think in these terms we will be behind the ball and as we are responding to one attack they can employ another, and we start over again.

As one gets more experience with Aikido we try to work on either blend with the attack as the partner starts the movement or more advanced to initiate our partner into attacking the way we set them up to attack. This is hard to explain, but basic shomen uchi ikkyo techniques give us a glimpse into those ideas.

This leads us into the three basic levels of combat initiative. The first is “Go no Sen” which is response to an attack after the attack has started. This is the more defensive based movements in response to our partners. The second is “Sen” which is basically the defensive movements at the same time as the attack is occurring. The last and highest level in a combat scenario is called “Sensen no Sen”. This is us performing an action in anticipation of an attack. This I believe is where we want to take the level of our Aikido to.

In my training I believe it is not necessarily a technique but a feeling of controlling our opponent through their thoughts and actions. In practice this idea is can be built in training. For example, when practicing basic Shomen Uchi Ikkyo instead of the opponent attacking with shomen uchi the nage initiates by extending thier hands in front of the uke’s face and the uke then block with a shomen type strike. Thus the nage initiated the uke to “attack” and the follows through with the technique. Many traditional based schools start with this as a basic technique. This is verses others which start with the more defensive model of responding to an attack.

I personally like to do both with the students to give them experience with both pre “Sensen no Sen” and post “Go no Sen” ideas and concepts for their training. To someone who has not trained Aikido it can look like scripted events, but when you see an Aikidoist who understands these concepts they can control some of the events that are happening. This is the fun part of Aikido. It is limitless in where you can bring your training.

For newer students getting ready for testing really try to do the “Sen” movements where you blend with the attack as it is coming down. Enter, enter, enter. Here is a great short saying from O-Sensei on this idea:

“When an opponent comes forward, move in and greet him; if he wants to pull back, send him on his way.” - OSensei (M. Ueshiba)

Great explanation by OSensei right!

Andrew

As the students get into the testing mode again I see the deep thinking in their heads about all of the things they are concerned about. It is an interesting change of focus. The funny thing is for the last few months the students have already been preparing themselves. The ones that have been training consistently and focused really do not need to change their focus. However, these students are sometimes the people who stress themselves out the most. Not always but over the years this is the case most of the time.

Kotegaeshi (Cory M, John P.)

First, we must work to keep relaxed and enjoy the practice. The best practices are where there is a lot of energy and people are focused but having a lot of fun (ok maybe a little hard work). The class is over before we know it and everyone has a smile on their face. Now that we are relaxed and training with focus how do we prepare for the up-coming testing? Other than just coming to class and working hard you really need to know what is going to be tested. There are a lot of difficult or subjective things on the test like focus, zanshin, cleanness of techniques, etc. However, usually there also is a list of techniques and movements that you need to know and demonstrate for the instructors. Read the list, memorize the list (for your level and below), and go over the techniques in your head when you are not on the mat.

You don’t have to do this a lot, but if you have a little spare time it is always good to think about a technique when you are off the mat. Imagine the attacker coming in and you moving off the line. Can you feel their hand/arm? How do you turn your body? Do you have zanshin throughout the technique? This is a exercise that high level athletes (Olympics, etc) use to prepare their mind for perfecting their body and mind. Try it. You might find that it helps you work out some problem spots on techniques that you currently are working on, or need to know for the next test.

Another good idea is to look for a mentor or Sempai in your dojo. 98% of the time these people are approachable and willing to help you out when you have some free time. Some dojos have open practice time and let you work through the “trouble spots” on your techniques. Use this wisely. I visited a dojo a while back and the teacher said you guys have some time to practice your techniques. One or two of the 15 students wandered out and practiced. The teacher also offered help to anyone who asked, and no one took him up on his offer. When I was practicing I would have thrown all the students out of the way to get that opportunity =).

Take the opportunities to train and prepare for your test as they come about. These opportunities are all around you. You may just not be looking!

– Andrew

Last week we started to review tachidori for testing coming up in our Fridays class. Tachidori is Aikido open hand movements against an opponent with a sword (bokken - wooden sword, real sword, etc). I really enjoy these movements as you really feel the need to move out of the way and off the line. When I was visiting another school for training a while back I was talking to on of their students about the upcoming testing. He was very concerned with the tachidori (and jo dori - defense against a jo) section of the test.

I thought about this idea more and how can students better understand tachidori better for their own practice. As usual I came to my normal thought of it all starts with basics (kihon). I will try to get some of the initial ideas I came up with and started practice with the other night.

Attacker (uke):

The attacker first must be able to do a clean commited staight strike down with their bokken. There are other strikes for tachidori practice, but students must master this one first. The uke can do a sliding strike, or what we practiced was to employ a steping strike with our back (left) foot.

Thrower (nage):

Now that we are getting a good committed attack from our uke we can begin to learn to enter or irimi. In Japanese irimi means (iri - enter) and mi (body). We are entering in but off the initial attack line, and attempting to stay close to our partner. Before we go into the specifics of the entering techniques I wanted to talk a little bit about mind set and foot movements. The first is how we have our mind set. In Aikido and especially we need to have complete focus (zanshin) of our opponents and our surroundings. However, while keeping this awareness we must try to stay as relaxed as possible. This mix of awareness and relaxation lets us respond quickly to what comes at us.

The second important concept to keep in mind while we move is our foot work. I think a lot of Aikidoists only think about their techniques and not a lot on their footwork. This is not everyone, and there are a lot of schools and styles that have exercises that focus on the important aspect of our footwork. One thing a lot of newer students do is walk or move heel to toe. In Aikido we should always try to move on the balls of our feet and depending on the movement think about where the balance of our feet are. We could talk about this for a while, but I just wanted to touch upon this.

Now that we have focus and are moving on the balls of our feet we can now enter when the strike is coming towards us. There are a few basic entries that I like to have my students practice. The basic ones are (lets asume/start with our right foot forward):

1. Sliding forward with our right foot to your right (uke’s left) and switching our hips. When we switch our hips we turn our body towards the uke and end up facing 180 degrees behind us with our left foot forward.
2. Sliding forward with our right foot to your right (uke’s left), and when we cannot slide forward anymore we step back in a sweeping motion with our left foot from behind us all the way around to 180 degrees and our right foot is still in front. In Aikido we call this soto (outside) tenkan. This movement is a basis of a lot of our movements and techniques.
3. With our right foot forward we will step forward with our left foot to our right (our partner’s left) and when we cannot move forward with that foot any more we will turn towards the outside and step backwards with our right foot. Now are inside is towards our partner. This in Aikido is called an uchi (inside) tenkan. This is a little more difficult and your timing really needs to be on for this. This is a pure entering technique, and fun to practice. A lot of hip throws and corner drop type throws are from this position and entry.

Now that we have these three we can mix it up by starting with the opposite forward (left this time), and try to take one step depending on the technique to our right. For example, the #1 above starting with our left foot we would take a large step to the right with our right foot and switch our hips ending up as we did on #1 with our left foot forward facing 180 degrees. Now you have six entering techniques just to the right, and six to the left (12 in all).

This is a good start to really work on and get comfortable with. It is strange new students are not comfortable with someone swinging a sword at their head. Boggles the mind :).

The last concept I really try to beat into my students heads is that with tachidori there really is only two basic sides. If we move to the right (our partner’s left) this is the inside or what we call the futokoro side. If we move to our right this is the outside or the tamoto (sleeve) side. This is true because with basic Japanese swordsmanship we always have our right hand on top and our left hand on the bottom of the sword (see picture). So if you move to the outside (tamoto side) you have different options with the hands and the arms that you do on the other side.

Later I may go into various basic techniques that you can do from both sides, but I just wanted to point out that this is where we can start when trying to breakdown basic tachidori. After reading (and writing) those descriptions I know why it is much easy to show and demonstrate techniques than to read them. However, the only sure fire way is to practice, practice, practice. How does your school begin to teach tachidori?

– Andrew

The book Secret Tactics by author Kazumi Tabata, is a analysis of historical martial arts texts from various martial art masters and writers. I will be giving this book a more overall detailed review at a later time, but currently I am really digesting the various parts of the book through my eyes and experiences.

In the first section named the book of seven masters, the initial book is “HEI-HO-KADEN-SHO (Hereditary Manual of the Martial Arts)” by Yagyu, Munenori. This book approaches different aspects Munenori Yagyu feels were essential to learning and understanding for swordsmanship. The first section I want to comment on was:

A Gate is the Vestibule to a House (pg. 4)

“The books of Confucius are thought of as a gate to those who devote their mind to learning. What is a gate? A gate is the entrance to the house. Only by going through the gate can one meet the master of the house. Learning, for example, is the gate to truth. Only by going through the gate can you obtain truth. Opening the gate should not be mistaken for having entered the house, for the house lies beyond the gate.”

Initially reading this I think that to do anything you must enter the gate and do/try what you are attempting to do. By just opening the gate and looking through you cannot really see what is inside. On the surface this to me is how most people see martial arts. They see movies, TV shows, magazine articles, news and make their impressions by these external inputs. Yes, these are some of the information that you can receive, but to really understand and process this information you need to participate and train in the martial arts.

Over the 20+ years I have been training and teaching I can’t tell you the amount of times I have heard peoples ideas and concepts of how martial arts are this, or Aikido is that. 98% of these people have never even tried martial arts or just had a small taste when they were kids. It is very hard to have in depth conversations with these people about martial arts because of context. We can start to share our ideas and thoughts on it (like I am now!), but I always try to encourage them to try one martial art of their choice to really start to see and build that context to filter the external information that we get. It is a fine line, as if you have too much context you can filter out other martial art concepts and ideas if you are not careful.

On the other hand this also talks about the books of Confucius, and these are thoughts to a gate in themselves. I believe it is a mix of both reading, taking in external sources (tv, movies, documentaries, experiences, and in my mind most important training) to get the best overall view and learning of the art. I think a good example is swimming. You can read 50 books, and watch every program on swimming there is. Then with these ideas we plop you into the deep end of the pool at let you swim. You will probably sink (or at least have a hard time). However, with this knowledge and also progressive practice you can fuse the both into what you call swimming.

I will be adding more points from this book (and others) for discussion soon. What do you think of the quote from the book?

– Andrew

I thought I would be added a few posts each week to either introduce some words and concepts from the Japanese language. Learning Japanese can be a fun experience to enable you talk talk to people from Japan and also learn a little about the culture. A good place to start is learning to count. Counting in Japanese is pretty easy once you learn a few vocab words and some easy comcepts. Step one we learn 1-10:

• (1) One - Ichi [e-chee]
• (2) Two - Ni [knee]
• (3) Three - San
• (4) Four - Shi [she]
• (5) Five - Go
• (6) Six - Roku [row-koo]
• (7) Seven - Shichi [she-chee]
• (8) Eight - Hachi [ha-chee]
• (9) Nine - Ku
• (10) Ten - Ju

Now that we can count to ten counting to 99 is pretty easy. Japanese counting is just like math so 20 would be (2 * 10) or Ni Ju (20). Twenty three would be (2 * 10 + 3) or Ni Ju San (23). Or fifty would be (5 * 10) or Go Ju. Using this concept you can count to 99. Next counting post we can just add a few numbers and count to nine thousand and ninety nine (9999).

– Andrew

I thought I would add a little bit on why I choose bamboo as the symbol for this blog. First it is a iconic symbol in Asia, and if you have seen pictures of a bamboo grove it is a beautiful sight. Also, throughout my training I have always kept the ideas that bamboo has symbolized to temper my own progress. These symbols being growth, flexibility (ideas and physical), and overall strength.

Here are some other definitions that are on the web that I found interesting:

It represents resistance to hardship, and the smooth expanse between its nodes symbolizes virtue or a long distance between faults. The hollow interior is a sign of modesty signifying the inner emptiness which is the characteristic of the scholar-gentleman who is upright in bearing but humble. Because of these venerable associations, the bamboo is the emblem of the Buddha.

And another:

The bamboo’s gracefulness and constant growth exemplify a yielding but enduring strength and pliability which the Japanese take as the symbol of good breeding, lasting friendship, and longevity. The long canes reaching ever upwards represent truthfulness, while the curved branchlets and trembling leaves express a beauteous devotion. So auspicious and beauteous are the symbolic characteristics of bamboo that it has served as the most enduring motif in oriental art, and many a family in feudal Japan proclaimed at least a partial exemplification of them by adopting a bamboo design as its identifying crest.

– Andrew