I WANT TO LEARN 'JUDO', 'KARATE','KUNGFU' ETC.ETC.

How often have people, when they realize or find out that I have some inkling of the various methods of self-defense and various martial arts, tell me of their DESIRE to LEARN such, often making a statement that they prefer one over the other, as if they knew why they felt that way and what it involved and why the others were not to their liking, without dipping their feet into the pond or stream...etc. Well, you all know what happens usually when people tell you such: THEY NEVER DO TAKE UP THESE ARTS and will still tell you of this INTENSE,OVERWHELMING DESIRE, LONGING, YEN,ETC. to embrace each and every one of these magnificent arts, especially after viewing numerous movies featuring the top stars and the exotic weapons that cut down villains galore,etc. etc. Moreover, they often, to achieve martial arts expertise vicariously, enroll or subjugate and subject their children to classes designed to make them 'karate-kas' or 'ninjas' etc. and devote great efforts to delivering and fetching their kids to classes, often substitutes for baby sitters,etc. Of course, the young and the youth, both slightly different if you get my drift, can learn much and benefit much when and if they do take up martial arts of any kind, provided some things are kept in mind, and usually these latter are not, since, 'you pay for what you get'......and can 'pick and choose' from a long list of schools and instructors in phone books, advertisements, etc. Then many substitute actual instruction for DVD watching, a few pushups and maybe a slight walk or jog through the park or something similar, like a class in tae bo to round out what they have read in magazines or books or watched on TV and maybe even from what they see and perhaps try to emulate at home from tournaments,either they or their kids have attended.....

OPENING & CLOSING

Opening and closing the hands into fists or open palms is skill that does need practice but above and beyond that it has some other special meanings. We can refer to such as 'doing' and 'undoing' which are seldom considered beyond the practical ways of most ordinary considerations. Technically, these 'OPERATIONS' are called commutative. They can be done and undone. In mathematics, this is easily shown by the facts that addition can be 'undone' by substraction. Division is repeated subtraction while multiplication is repeated addition. Some things in mathematics as well as in life cannot be undone, or if attempted, the results are not 'even' or desired,etc. In martial arts, an example of operations that cannot be undone or reversed is KILLING SOMEONE. You may be able, if you simply injure or knock someone out, help them or revive them,etc. but once you kill someone you cannot bring them back to life! That is a non-commutative operation. There are some in mathematics but discussing all this 'theory' is not needed for this discussion. PLACING the clenched fists in various postions,particularly in salutary or ceremonial or ritual positions, such as, bowing, has a lot of things that can be discussed according to the arts, the disciplines, the schools,etc. that exist. One formation is that of the fists forming the SYMBOL OF TAO (DAO). If you know what this symbol looks like then you can form your hands this way: the right hand in a fist is grasped by the left hand which wraps about it to form the symbol of the Tao. If you then take it a step further, you can see the formation of THE OCTAGON or BAGUA/PAKUA symbol. The esoteric aspects of this are usually ignored or overlooked except in certain circumstances, as when one is meeting certain masters or groups and wishes to silently communicate,etc.

WHAT STYLE OF KARATE ARE YOU?

Over the years I have been asked this sort of question and the simple answer is: I AM NOT ANY STYLE, I AM A PERSON WHO SOMETIMES PRACTICES OR DOES KARATE. Extending this a bit, I am a person who sometimes exercises karate and on very rare occasions have used it and on other occasions have assisted others who might have some questions or notions or ideas on karate or who wanted something from me on basics,etc. All this latter can be most flattering. HOWEVER, most asking this question want to know what popular or usual style of karate I follow or practice, and also who my instructors are or were,etc. and also what schools or organizations I belonged to or still do,etc. NOW that I am at my age which, at the moment is 74, I have to consider my answer carefully because in some instances, KARATE PRACTICES ME. If anything I am in the 'school of NO STYLE' which means that I do not join or practice or follow any set routine or system or methods,etc. of any particular group, school, instructor, system, organization,etc. and merely practice by myself, for myself, and that means that I am at the point where I can dispense with all such considerations and focus actually on what I am doing and learning in such a way which is not acceptable to the mainstream and ordinary methods of training or practice or culturally conceived martial arts that most people now follow in some way. Not that I have not learned from others, been in groups or met outstanding persons and so forth, because I have but I have 'distilled' for myself what I want to do and how I do it,though I do have all kinds of references and so forth to consult should I get 'stuck' on a problem. I do not follow any particular kata or the like from any particular school or style. To understand what I am talking about readers of this blog should consult my other blogs on martial arts, such as those on esoteric ways.

'HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW....WANSU....TAIKYOKU......ETC!

This statement refers to remarks made by other instructors in criticism of certain master who simply never learned a lot of kata or forms and patterns that might be considered basic.

'THE FIRST THING IN A KNIFE ATTACK IS TO GET THE KNIFE OUT OF THE WAY!'

At first glance this sounds like good advice until you realize that you might well get 'cut or killed' and such tactics should only be undertaken by an expert or a policeman who is more apt ot shoot an attacker than disarm him. More can be said on this.

'LET ME GIVE YOU A SHOT OF KI!'

Dosages of the KI,CHI,ETC. by aikido and other martial arts practitioners can be 'dangerous' and lead to unforseen consequences, particulary when done by instructors and masters on female practitioners! Believers in this 'energy' type, this psychic force or whatever abound and only a few can make it work effectively, which means in most cases they have a great knowledge of LEVERAGE especially and sometimes the 'stunts' and 'tests' and 'demos' of this work and sometimes they don't. It depends on many factors.

'IF I WAS TO HIT THE BACK OF YOUR NECK WITH THE EDGE OF MY HAND....'

This was usually said to impress people and to indicate that their stint in Japan or elsewhere was not all spent in bars and nightclubs,etc. as they struck the table(s) with the edge of their hand(little finger side in a shuto) usually in bars at that, after a few drinks and questions about if they had studied karate or martial arts and they didn't want to lose face, so-to-speak,especially in front of girls.

''GET OUT OF HERE WITH YOUR SISSY KARATE!"

No, this is not what Count Dante, John Keehan, said to attackers,though he did think ordinary karate methods and training were for sissies. This was said at times by actual 'masters' and 'instructors'etc. to those who had studied some other style other than the one being taught or shown and the more aggressive ones followed up with kicks and punches and knockouts!

'MY HANDS ARE REGISTERED!'

This statement is like the previous one but is issued by the person who makes the claim for reasons to either stop a fight and warn off attackers or simply to impress by standers,etc. among others.

'YOU HAVE TO REGISTER YOUR HANDS!'

In the early days of karate in the US this statement was often made by people for various reasons and taken to be an indication of karate's 'deadliness'etc. The rumor is still around but the fact is that use of the hands and feet can have legal consequences,more so today, when employed in fights or self-defense.

'HOW HIGH CAN YOU KICK?'

This question arises when people, influenced by movies and TV,etc. find out you know something about martial arts of some kind,which I do not think they ask ballet stars or dancers,etc. the same thing, but martial artists are singled out for this inquiry because kicking, especially the spectacular kind that demands extreme agility and flexibility as well as coordination, is associated in their minds with martial arts, possibly the endall/beall of such. Bruce Lee is taken as model for you to emulate as well. As every martial arts person and fighter knows high kicks do not insure winning any fights or battles except perhaps in movies scripts. Kicking the air is one thing and kicking a person is another.

'HE KNOWS KARATE!' HE KNOWS JUDO, AIKIDO, KUNGFU!'

This sort of statement was always issued by admirers of the person who assumed a 'karate' or 'kungfu' stance or bellowed a 'kiai' of sorts or for an effect to 'scare off' attackers of would be belligerants,etc. In some situations, like dark alleys, 'the person who knows karate' goes first with others following on tiptoes.

'DO SOME KNUCKLE PUSHUPS-MY COUNT!"

This 'disciplinary' action was imposed on neophytes and beginners, many of whom were forbidden to wear the white belt until they had 'earned it', because of 'serious' infractions in dojo protocol(s) and to tougthen them up and also to allow time for some instructors of these deadly arts to think of what to teach or do next,especially if they did not have much experience or knowledge and ability. The foreknuckles of the closed fists were also being developed in this process which tended to justify nearly each and every opportunity to improve and develop the beginners. Other methods existed as well to achieve some of this.

"WAIT UNTIL I TAKE OFF MY SHOES...!"

'ALL YOU REALLY NEED IS THE FRONT SNAP KICK AND THE REVERSE PUNCH"

'I LOVE TO SIT IN SEIZA!"

THE OPEN FIST & THE CLOSED PALM: ANECDOTES OF THE DOJO

These are things that I have heard around the DOJOS and other training places,like bars and gyms,etc. These things will not be attributed for the most part to the persons or people who said them nor in any real degree of accuracy per se but as I recall them strictly from memory. I welcome comments on any and all of them.