ARTICLE 2: KEIKO
When practicing daily, one must constantly follow decorum, adhere to the fundamentals, and resist the temptation to pursue mere technical skill rather than the unity of mind and technique.
This is quite the interesting subject when regarding training. The first thing that jumps out to me is the mention of practicing daily. Some may say, "Wow, I am happy if I can get to the academy three times a week." And that is a valid issue in tod
ay's modern society. But keep in mind that practice is not just in the dojo, it is part of everyday life. Conflict resolution / prioritization of actions / keeping mentally and emotionally calm / ensuring we take care of our bodies properly etc. are all aspects of martial training that must be practiced at all waking hours of our life. To simply train only when at the school severely limits your growth and potential to become a martial artist.
"Decorum" is relative to culture. Certain etiquette and formalities can be dramatically diverse depending on which culture we are dealing with. This charter was obviously enacted by the Japane
se, therefore certain Japanese customs such as asking the permission of the instructor to speak prior to asking a question is common in traditional dojo's. Whereas most western instructors do not require such decorum. Again these vary school to school, and teacher to teacher.
Students must exercise caution in their expectations when it comes to teachers and fellow training partners. For instance I have witnessed many a broken heart because teachers will have a very strict code of conduct that they enforce diligently, for example some schools strictly forbid the use of alcohol or drugs by its students. The instructor cannot expect to hold students to higher standards than themselves. Many students look to the teacher as something just short of a demigod, and then they find out he drinks / smokes weed / had an affair / or any number of issues we may find unsavory in everyday life. Students and teachers alike need to always keep in mind that we are all human. Teachers are no better / worse than the students. Neither should abuse their position, rank, or authority for personal gain or benefit. Of course you must take this with a grain of salt since I am basically married to one of my students!;)
"Adhere to the fundamentals...." true dat! As my BJJ c
oach Brian states: "They are called the basics only because they have been proven to work." Fundamental underlying principles are what makes the art, an art. Even the fanciest moves out there are set up by the fundamental moves, or the threat of a fundamental move leaves an opening for the advanced fancy move.
This next chunk regarding uniting the mind, body, and spirit along with not pursuing technical skill is a rather in depth topic. Certainly I agree that one wants to make all the movements second nature using all our capacities to execute the technique. But one also must strive for technical proficiency! After all it is a martial art we are studying so we cannot ignore the fundamental difference between martial arts and basket weaving! Many whom are solely interested in fighting, or competing, often do not last at traditional academies, or they simply bounce around from
school to school never really learning about loyalty, dedication, eating bitter, or discipline for that matter.
Personally I believe one needs a bala
nce between attaining technical skill and working on unity of body, mind, and spirit. Ultimately they go hand in hand, but I understand why the charter makes a clear distinction. In today's Youtube culture it seems par for the course for people to be in a hurry and to learn / teach the next neat move. Kid Peligro dedicated a rant about this very subject.
Take your time and enjoy the journey. In the end you will discover their is no end.
Train Hard, Train Smart!
JAB
One of the better articles I have ever seen on training partners from Jim Gruenwald, two time Olympic Team and current head coach at Wheaton College.
Strive to have these three partners!
JAB
Creating a complete wrestling environment (Part 1)– Jim Gruenwald
In my 12 years at the USOTC, I tried to be a student of the sport, not only as an athlete, but also in preparation for being a coach. This early attitude helped considerably to prepare me for my 4 years at the USOEC and now as a college coach. I looked at my time at the USOEC as an apprenticeship under Ivan Ivanov which added to my earlier learning. What made the transition easier from being an athlete to being a coach was studying the coaches who mentored me. How much of their influence is in the following ideas, I do not know, but I give them credit for making me a better coach than I could have been without them.
With that said, coaching tip number one to create a complete training environment is to have a wrestling room where you have three different types of training partner. I firmly believe, and would go so far as to say I know, that you need these three distinct types of partner to have the necessary tools for thorough training. Just training with any one partner for extended periods limits your ability to grow as an athlete. This does not mean a person cannot grow, but the growth is limited. The argument could easily be made that some people plateau in training because of an unwillingness to adopt or an ignorance of the three partners.
The first partner, in no particular order of importance, is the training partner that you can beat up. This person acts almost like a living throwing dummy. Obviously the individual must be good enough and well versed in the sport to be able to react correctly to set ups and situations, yet they are practically unable to stop you in a live situation. This partner allows one to hit technique in a live situation which allows for a more thorough training for muscle memory than just pure drilling can accomplish. The set up and timing of the move in a live situation is far more beneficial than mindlessly drilling technique for hours. I am not opposed to drilling technique, but like memorizing facts for a math test, it is the lowest level of learning. As with any higher level thinking, i.e. the application of concepts such as the Pythagorean Theorem to the sides of a right triangle, so there must be higher level muscle training which can be developed by applying the technique in a live situation. The downside of only using this partner is that you are never tested in close-to-competition conditions and can become overconfident because inexperience at higher level intensity or pressure circumstances that can be achieved only by the other two partners.
The second partner must be an individual that you have no idea of the outcome. This individual could be someone you beat one day and lose to the next. This training partner requires you to always be learning and bringing something new to the mat to gain an edge. The constant give and take, flowing seamlessly from offense to defense creates an atmosphere very close to competition. This partner requires near to total perfection for hitting a technique. Working out with this individual takes your wrestling to the next level of muscle memory and training. However, the unfortunate shortcoming of this partner, if overused, is the inability to score. Two people always training together will come to know their partner so well they anticipate each other to the point of stagnancy of action or score.
The last type of partner is found in an individual that can crush you. This training partner teaches you how to survive what seems to be the insurmountable. This may not be an easy person to find if you happen to be the biggest and best in the room. Yet, with creative training, it can be fashioned. For instance, having several partners circle in on one person, or going through a short but intense strength and/or conditioning exercise that puts you in a fatigued state. This teaches you to be sharp in your fatigue and to survive in bad situations. Overusing this technique can frustrate a person, and because you are fighting to survive can leave the door to injury open for too long a period of time. Although if we are honest with ourselves, how many of us are really willing to find someone who can squash us? Or willing to put ourselves at a severe disadvantage?
Each partner has a positive benefit and, if misused, a negative aspect. Granted there may be times where having all partners is not possible or practical for individual needs. Some people need a particular partner to get mentally ready pre-competition and using all three may be detrimental to an ideal competition preparation phase of training. Nevertheless, each partner serves a purpose. Each partner provides an opportunity to improve in specific ways. Moreover, if used correctly the training partners can be likened to a ladder. As you improve, you leave behind the person that was once someone you could crush. The person who could go toe-to-toe with you becomes someone you can crush. The person or created situation that could crush you now becomes the toe-to-toe and you have to find a new person or create a new situation to put you at a severe disadvantage. Another step up the ladder and another step closer to a championship or achieving a goal is made.
Some stick with training partner number one and become the big fish in the small pond. Others get caught in a rut of training with partner number two, or become discouraged because of too much time spent with training partner number three. Take responsibility for your career and embrace the challenge to find all three and use them wisely in your training. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, the other choice is to keep doing the same-ole-same-ole and wonder why you never get better - Blaming officials, coaches, or finding some other excuse as to why you lose. In my experience it is the rare person who searches for, finds, and then uses all three training partners. Be that rare person by having the courage to use all three
ARTICLE 1: OBJECT
The object of budo is to cultivate character, enrich the ability to make value judgments, and foster a well disciplined and capable individual through participation in physical and mental training utilizing martial techniques.
It should be fairly obvious to even the beginner student of the martial arts that their is a lot more to our practice than just kicking some ass. Actually it is funny how this attitude changes more and more as we accumulate more time training and practicing. When we train a given martial system properly (ie. including some level of uncooperative sparring) we put ourselves in situations of stress. When our bodies, minds, and spirits are stressed we learn about ourselves. How hard can I push my body before it gives out? Can I stay focused on the task at hand even when things are not going my way? Do I have the will, the spirit, the gameness, to step up to any challenge and give it 100% regardless of the perceived outcome?
These questions can be related to anything; your job; your spouse; football; or even making a birdhouse.
One of the key components in this first section is found with making sound value judgements. While sparring you may attempt a certain technique only to have your opponent counter said
technique. Was it worth opening your self up to the counter technique in an effort to score your technique? These are value judgements that we must make in a split second under considerable stress when engaged in combatives. But it is exactly this type of training that enables us to make sounds value judgements in our everyday life when we are inoculated with stress. When we train we understand how our minds and bodies will react. We can reflect on our sessions later and learn from our mistakes and our successes. In essence we are practicing all the time!Quite simply what this all boils down to is being able to work with anxiety. Contrary to what some believe you will always have stress in your life, it is your ability (inability) to deal with it that either makes or breaks the individual. By training in the martial arts we constantly are forging our bodies, minds, and spirits in the flame of combat. But the true application lies in our ability to translate these lessons into our everyday lives, as for most of us the time spent at the dojo is but a minute percentage of our lives. We spend many more hours dealing with family, work, and the humdrum of normal life!
Cheers,
JAB
ARTICLE 1: OBJECT
The object of budo is to cultivate character, enrich the ability to make value judgments, and foster a well disciplined and capable individual through participation in physical and mental training utilizing martial techniques.
ARTICLE 2: KEIKO
When practicing daily, one must constantly follow decorum, adhere to the fundamentals, and resist the temptation to pursue mere technical skill rather than the unity of mind and technique.
ARTICLE 3: SHIAI
In a match and the performance of kata, one must manifest budo spirit, exert himself to the utmost, win with modesty, accept defeat gracefully, and constantly exhibit temperate attitudes.
ARTICLE 4: DOJO
The dojo is a sacred place for training one's mind and body. Here, one must maintain discipline, proper etiquette, and formality. The training area must be a quiet, clean, safe and solemn environment.
ARTICLE 5: TEACHING
When teaching trainees, in order to be an effective teacher, the budo master should always strive to cultivate his/her character, and further his/her own skill and discipline of mind and body. He/She should not be swayed by winning or losing, or display arrogance about his/her superior skill, but rather he/she should retain the attitudes suitable for a role-model.
ARTICLE 6: PROMOTION
When promoting budo, one should follow traditional values, seek substantial training, contribute to research, and do one's utmost to perfect and preserve this traditional art with an understanding of international points of view.
I will offer my thoughts and opinions on these 6 articles and how they apply to all martial arts, and everyday life over the coming days.
Enjoy,
JAB
