A Family of Superhero’s
On Friday, Mr. BBM and I packed up the car and headed to western PA for Easter weekend. Instead of taking the vehicle equipped with a DVD player and headphones for the girls, we took our Subaru Forester for her very last long ride. We traded her in for a new car on Saturday morning.
Mr. BBM spent days convincing me the drive out and back, without a DVD player, would be "fun." I wasn't buying it and as usual, I was right, as usual-wait, did I say that already? Oh yeah, I did; but it warrants being said again. As usual, I was right.
The drive out consisted of Mr. BBM being ready to self-combust at any moment if the girls even tilted their drink or snack even slightly off a perfectly upright angle. He did this despite the beach towels he had put on the seats for the drive out. Big I decided it was a great opportunity to ask us all kinds of questions, like "Would you rather have ears where your eyebrows are, or a nose where your belly button is?" I should also note that each question was proceeded by a startling, "Daddy" or "Mommy." We swear she used those two words about 2000 times each direction of the four hour drive. She also used "Are we there yet?" enough times to make me volunteer to ride on the roof rack.
We won't even discuss Lil C and her non-stop whining. We just won't because I'd rather not have my head explode all over my lap-top.
We arrived at my father-in-law's home, knowing that they were in the middle of a big kitchen renovation, but people. . . we had no idea. The kitchen contents were in boxes in the family room. The kitchen cabinets were. . . gone. . . completely. Dishes were done in the laundry room sink and clean dishes could only be found on a table in the dining room. I stress "clean" only when the drywall man hadn't been there. Clearly, he does not believe in sealing off areas before sanding.
For cooking, there was a microwave.
You were waiting for a crock pot or electric skillet too, weren't you? Nope, not a one. At some point, Mr. BBM must have threatened to kill someone or himself because a coffee pot was eventually found and plugged in. Because of the state of the kitchen, we had to eat out for every meal, minus breakfast each day, which was microwaved oatmeal (and minus today's fantastic Easter dinner, cooked by my mother-in-law.)
Despite the stress of all of this, we had a great time. My father-in-law recently remarried a lovely lady and two of her adult children were also visiting. It became quite clear that there was some good-natured sibling rivalry between Mr. BBM's new step-sister and her younger brother who even refers to himself as "the glow." "The glow" can do no wrong; food even tastes better when you're in the presence of "the glow." It's really quite an appropriate nickname considering that it was only minutes before Big I was proclaiming her undying love for him. I had to kindly remind her that he's now her uncle, and you know, sort of too old for her. Plus, eight-year olds need to chill on "being in love." Seriously, although I must admit that "the glow" does have a stellar smile. Geez, even from hundreds of miles away, he's still having an effect on me.
What became even funnier than "the glow" and the antics surrounding him was Mr. BBM's stepmother and her patented "look." While we were busy answering Big I's never-ending list of questions on the drive out, my father-in-law was busy talking to his wife's kids about her classic "look" of death. Together they decided that a picture of this "look" should be painted on missiles that wouldn't have to even explode to scare our country's enemies. Seeing "the look" would be enough. They also decided that the problem with illegal immigration could be solved. Simply put "the look" on strategically placed billboards at our borders.
Having never been the recipient of "the look" (I'd only ever seen it from the side until this weekend), I could laugh but not know for sure. However, after my step mother-in-law saw the new mess in her kitchen after drywall sanding while we had been out, and the fact that my father-in-law had used their Dyson and not a shop vacuum to clean it up, I found myself standing between the two of them and caught "the look" straight on. All I really have to say about that is . . . "teach me, oh great giver of 'the look'."
When the weekend was coming to a close and all was said and done, I realized that I'm now part of a family of superhero's. "The glow" charms everyone around him; while "the look" can instantly make you regret ever having been born.
Despite getting a fabulous deal on the new car without them, I can't help but wonder what kinds of amazing things they could have done for us during negotiations, had they been there. After being warmed up by "the glow" and then subjected to "the look," it's entirely possible we would have been given our new car for free.
Pain That Makes You Work Harder
Tonight at the dojo reminded me why I love karate so much.
I've spent the last few weeks at the dojo trying to get kata back into my head. Of course, there was the occasional night where I had a bo coming at me full force, but most nights have revolved around kata, either open hand or weapons, and my brain trying to reabsorb and perfect it all.
Tonight, however, it was all partner work; and it was awesome. Hanshi had us take each scenario from a casual stance to mimic what might happen if someone approached you and started swinging when you weren't quite expecting it. We worked on parrying, back-fists, some crazy cool joint locks and jamming the bicep when you have an incoming round-house punch.
I was working with a black belt partner who I haven't worked with in a while, and we had a good time practicing on each other and exploring some potential other possibilities. It felt good to evade a punch and throw back some techniques. There's nothing more satisfying than seeing how a small portion of kata can turn into the perfect defense against someone looking to take your head off.
There were certainly some mess-ups on my part tonight. Learning something new is never perfect, but my partner and I worked through it and it was definitely a fun night at the dojo.
At one point, Hanshi came over and demonstrated one of the techniques on me. It reminded me, once again, how very good he is at what he does. For minutes after, my bicep was unhappy, as was the rest of my arm. He uses such amazing control, but when he hits you, man, do you know it! I never mind being his uke though; because when you feel that tweak of pain, it inspires you to work harder yourself.
Winners for Admired Martial Artists Month will be announced early next week!
Listening to the Knee Yoda
Last Thursday, I made the mistake of assuming that my knee would tolerate kneeling, as in butt back on the heels kneeling. I was very wrong.
I think I would have been ok if it had been a brief stay, but it wasn't. We ended up sitting in seiza for quite some time and I sat there awkwardly jutting my leg out to the side. Even if I could kneel completely, my knee brace wouldn't allow me to go that far. My brace is sort of like my mother, reminding me what I can and can not do.
I noticed my knee was a little crankier than usual over the weekend and I tweaked it again during my crazy yard lady four hour raking stint in my yard on Sunday when I sort of leaned back on my left heel at one of the areas in my yard that has decided it would like to be reclaimed by the depths of the Earth.
I should have called it a day, but I had a much needed appointment with my trainer at the gym, so after four hours of raking and seeding, it was time for more torture.
I had every intention of asking my trainer for some new leg exercises. I'm getting a little bored with what I've been doing. My knee has been holding up great through all of the increased reps and weights. I wanted something new; but when I sat down to stretch my legs out, I noticed a very sore and swollen knee.
I couldn't get full extension and my knee was really puffy. My trainer took one look at it and said, "We're doing arms," which is just what my arms needed after raking for four hours. He tortured my biceps, triceps and abs in new and horrible ways and then I went home to ice my knee.
I took my knee cocktail of my joint supplement, bromelain, and turmeric and topped it off with some ibuprofen. The knee was screaming for some. I iced it on and off until I went to bed, where I slept with it elevated.
On Monday, the swelling was down but I was still really sore. I was getting stiff after sitting for only a few minutes and I knew it was the kneeling that did me in because I was also super sensitive when I tried to bend my leg past a certain point.
I headed out to karate class anyway. I was up front with my instructor and told him I wouldn't be kneeling or doing anything to stress my knee. I also asked if we could refrain from doing anything involving abs, biceps or triceps, but the entire class decided that working joint locks on noses would be sort of short-lived and weird.
True to form, my instructor had me more worried about protecting my face and head than my knee and despite a couple reminders from the cranky knee during class, I actually finished class feeling better.
I'm still a little swollen, but it's definitely feeling better. Riding my stationary bike for 30 minutes last night seems to have loosened things up a bit. I am forever reminded of what my PT used to always say to me: "Listen to the knee." He's like my knee Yoda and I wish he would have been at the dojo when I was breathing through the pain of kneeling, telling myself to suck it up.
To prevent further swelling of my knee, you should really consider subscribing to my site.
For those bloggers recovering from ACL surgery, I've started a place just for us. Please join.
What is Sometimes Hidden, You Oversee
Not long ago I was bestowed the honorable certificate Of Kyoshi, through my Sensei, organization, and my peers (some of whom also share the same rank of Kyoshi). I was never the exceptionally talented student of the Dojo, but have received the complimentary nod of approval over the past thirty six years. I wrote an article last year for Admired Martial Artists on “ Kanjo “ Emotion, I hope some of you read and benefited from that advice. There are more qualified Sensei and Instructors out there who can train you physically and answer your questions, bettering your Martial Arts abilities than I could tell you, so I will let their advice take that precedence.
I am not an authority or claim to be one on martial arts behavior. I try to echo the words of the Sensei, Masters, Warriors, Philosophers, and Authors who have traveled that arduous road before me. Maybe I can relay to you some of their wisdom and thoughts, and you can draw your own conclusion, which might give some insight, on your journey, down the path of the Budoka’s Michi.
Kakusareta Hidden!
I was sitting on the floor in front of some spacious windows at my house with my note pad, contemplating what I should write this year. My minds attention was diverted to the sight of this large tree, and since it’s March there are no leaves, and it stood out predominantly against the crisp pale sky.
The tree contained a large main trunk, the same width and height (reminiscent of an average person), which then split into three main branches maybe four inches in diameter. From there three main limbs spewed, many smaller limbs, which grew many smaller branches to the hundreds of finest stems shooting upwards towards the heavens. I thought to myself, how convenient that I have found such a Shinto Metaphor. A somewhat comparative duality to the “ Deshi “ (the student), and Nature. The trunk, big and strong, being the Deshi, and the limbs being his or her arms and hands. What amazed me was how crystal clear the finest branches were, with its hundreds of stems going all different directions, reaching out into the sky, and I thought, this somewhat reflects the Deshi’s mind!
Miushinau to Lose Sight Of.
A new student usually physically excels rapidly, their abilities and body take a different shaping – stronger, faster, healthier, balanced (like a strong trunk) in a relatively short amount of Dojo time. As their skills continue to flourish, they start to reach plateaus in their training, which tend to get longer, and the Deshi starts to struggle psychologically. This mental struggle seems to continue no matter how hard they try to overcome certain aspects in their training. So they start looking elsewhere and expanding their mental branches, trying new technical electronic training devises, the newest up to date modern information, supplemented training regiments, which invigorates some enthusiasm to override this state of stale progression, but usually is a short term experience. Ultimately, they learned something new, but the form or technique that they struggle to comprehend is not new, it is of the old ways. So as students plateau they also experience a circling factor where they continue to encounter the same kinds of problems on various different levels.
After awhile students tend to question why they are spending so much time tormenting themselves, practicing some ancient and feudal art that has no value in modern society. They also hear the voices of their spouses and families expressing concern and discontent.
Why keep on going through this emotional roller coaster, of anxiety, sore muscles, and injuries that are inevitable in training? Why strive for a goal that is certainly unreachable?
While many budoka do indeed quit, some are filled with a strange sense, a slight hint at first that may seem like the feeling of guilt. The source of this anxiety is different though, it is actually a glimmering reflection of the Bushido. This sense or feeling has been unconsciously instilled in a practitioner throughout their training in the form of giri, or moral obligation. Through giri it becomes honorable to uphold oneself and the Mudansha and Yudansha that train hard and sweat right along side of you. This is one of the unreachable destinations of classical martial arts in that one needs courage, strength, and fortitude to forge oneself like steel, to face adversity, to endure all the barriers and trials in the Dojo and most of all, out of the Dojo in this modern world we face each day.
This is how the Martial Arts fit to modern society, not in battling your opponent, but waging the war of the self.
It is the forging of the self that makes responsibility and moral obligation, the technique to shaping better adults. This is the arduous road or path that we as martial artists travel, that the Budoka overcomes and shares the Spirit with fellow Deshi.
Let's look at the part of the Tree you don’t see. The Japanese word is ” Ne “(pronounce like neh ) Roots, or ” Nezuku ” to grow Roots, which metaphorically if you're following along,” Konpon “means Origin, or Foundation.
The Tree is just as vast below the surface as it is above the surface, and this is what maintains its balance in all types of weather. The soil “Tsuchi” (pronounce soo chee) and Ne, roots are what nourishes the Tree. Similar in the Martial Arts, Asian Heritage, Cultural, Spiritual, Religious and Ethical elements and principles, are the many facets and arteries that are deeply instilled within, and fuel the Arts themselves.
In recent years we’ve had the luxury of better understanding the roots of the tree through the help of Articles, Books, Films, and Music (parts of culture that previous generations couldn’t have had access to). Here in these chronicles, articles and stories is the Spirit, Courage, Honor, Bravery, Perseverance, Etiquette and Rituals, which through these Masters, Warriors, Sensei, Ryu, Priests, Scholars, Craftsmen, and Musicians are told the Hardships and Trials and Triumphant justice against countless odds. Whether it be the Battlefield or Dojo, the soothing melody of the Shakuhachi or the thundering of Taiko drums, to the Solitude of Poetry, to the Vibrations of the Buddhist Mantra or the Temple Bell, or to that quite distinctive taste of Sushi and Sake. The list could go on an on! The Physical Training still remains the same at the outer form, but it is this time to develop the inner form.
The inner self, this is also priority to daily training. Maybe something, in these elements might have that fuel, for you to forge ahead, to uplift your spirit, to divert some time to nourish the mind, not only the road of the body. Lastly there is an old book Written by a Samurai named Yamamoto Tsunetomo; it is stories of Samurai and their life and a way of behavior and response to that behavior in the Fuedal times they lived. But here I am just going to use the title as a fuse to start your search for answers. Its called “ HAGAKURE ” Hidden behind the Leaves.
As every Sensei continues to say, “ Keep Training!"
Sayonara Z san.
* * *
I would like to acknowledge and credit and list some authors and their books who write so in-depth and eloquently on the subjects that you just read about. You can order these at any bookstore. Also a list of some Music CD’s that have a variety of Traditional and Modern variations of Traditional Japanese Music, which also can be acquired at certain book stores.
Sword and Brush : The Spirit of the Martial Arts. by Dave Lowry
Traditions : Essays on the Japanese Martial Arts and Ways. by Dave Lowry
Furyu the Budo Journal. by Wayne M. Muromoto this is a Quarterly Magazine.
Japan: Kabuki & Other Traditional Music by Ensemble Nipponia Nonsuch Rec
Samurai Collection by Various Artists : Pacific Moon Records.
EASTWIND by Masayuki KOGA : Fortuna Records.
The linked books and musical selections above can also be purchased through The BBM Review store via Amazon. Just click on the link.
This is your last chance to leave a comment and be entered to win one of the Admired Martial Artists month giveaways.
The Fastest Way to Black Belt
One would think that this site is the definitive guide to getting the fastest black belt possible. My search stats certainly tell that story. There are a ton of people out there looking for this information. They also tell me about all the people looking for "black belt essays." Of course, it's unfair for me to assume they're looking to find a pre-written essay to turn in as their own; but being a teacher who has seen a lot of plagiarism, I can't help but go there when I see people searching for those words and landing on my site.
Unfortunately, people searching for "fast black belts" and "black belt essays" are going to come up short on this site. If there's one thing I can't tell you about, it's getting a black belt fast. There have been lots of delays in that area when it comes to me, so I can give those people some advice of what not to do in order to get their black belt faster.
First, don't get whiplash. Whiplash equals a two-three month delay in training, easily.
Second, don't tear your ACL. ACL tears equal a minimum of 6 months to 17 months in order to get back on the floor. And some people don't come back at all. Tearing one's ACL makes people contemplate changing their web site's name from "Black Belt Mama" to "1st Kyu Forever." In other words, it's not the route you should take if you're looking to get somewhere fast.
It always cracks me up when people inquire as to how long it takes to get a black belt. The answer is simply, it takes as long as it takes. There's no magic number of classes or years of training. If someone gives you a number (or a dollar amount), then you should probably run the other direction.
The truth is that the belt doesn't have any super powers, so there's really no reason to need one quickly. You don't suddenly learn to run across the tops of trees. You don't instantly know how to throw a ki ball at an approaching attacker, or your sister if she happens to be on your nerves. You don't instantly bring people to their knees when you utter the words, "I'm a black belt." Come to think of it, the people who wear those black belts don't have super powers either. Unless, of course, you consider all the blood, sweat and tears they've put into their training. The dedication it takes to be a good martial artist is a true "super power."
So if one is truly looking for the fastest way to black belt, then one can go to any martial arts supply store and buy one. Unfortunately, you don't need a license to purchase those belts; but I can't guarantee it will give you happiness, make you invincible, or give you any super powers. It's just a belt, and you can find a bogus one with a matching certificate on eBay within minutes. After all, it's the person's journey that makes all the difference, not the belt or its color (says the girl who's been a 1st kyu since May 2007).
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