I was at a karate demo, and saw what contemporary martial arts looks like. Mmmm. At times, the demonstrators would use weapons. Their weapons sure were sparkly.

As I watched, I found myself thinking, What is that? Their movements occasionally mimicked traditional actions, but more often than not, didn't look like anything. For these players, weapons are fun props for their performances, and nothing more.

Just like empty hand practice, I find that most people who train with weapons have no idea how to hold them, much less, use them. So, it seems as if I am adopting another mission – to introduce the correct usage of traditional weapons to people who think they are "fun" rather than scary.

So, I will be conducted a Master Class on the correct use of sai on the last Friday of June, in Madison, WI. Just click on the image to download the flier. Hope to see you then. In the meantime

Go train!

CT

Gain a degree in judo!

OK, so you're a martial arts enthusiast but all that's on offer at University are boring subjects like History or Astro-physics or Business studies. How you wish there was a degree in martial arts...

Dream no longer! Anglia Ruskin University is now offering a degree in judo accredited by the European Judo Union (EJU). But before you pack your gi clutching a single ticket to Cambridge you should know that Bob Challis, course leader, says that this degree will be open to only world class coaches, he says "We’ll have around 30 to 40 judo coaches from around the world here at Anglia Ruskin University. The degree will require coaches of the highest level."

Ho hum.

Well done PMY for finding this article.

Ninjas in the news

Like this Far Side cartoon come to life, but arguably better, "ninjas" in Sydney came to the rescue of a mugging victim.  I kid you not:

Ninjas rescue Sydney mugging victim

A German exchange student was reportedly rescued from a violent assault in western Sydney after a group of men dressed as ninjas confronted his attackers.

Two teens and a 20-year-old allegedly initially approached the 27-year-old medical student while he was on a train on Tuesday night and demanded he hand over his wallet.

When the student refused and got off the train the three allegedly followed him.

But the trio allegedly chose to launch their assault on the man in the most inopportune spot — outside the Ninja Senshi Ryu martial arts school in Penrith at around 10:10pm.

As they allegedly grabbed the student's iPod and phone and kicked him to the ground, one of the ninjas raised the alarm with his teacher Kaylan Soto and fellow ninjas, all of whom came rushing out to help.

"The first thing we saw was three guys on top of him, so we ran towards them," Mr Soto told ninemsn.

"The look on their faces — they would have seen five guys in ninja costumes running towards them."

more...

I also cannot recommend the Algorithm March (with Ninjas!) highly enough:

Contact Improvisation

In response to Cat's amazing post on dance and martial arts; movement and contact improvisation I'd like to share a video:

It's slow motion kendo illustrating how two bodies can interact with timing and power in relation to an opponent's body movement (intended and actual).

The music is beautiful but not the main feature I was 'struck' with here. Even though these men (this is the men's final) are a metre or more apart they feel each other's energy and movement impeccably. Check out Koiso's 'men' strike against Inage: like a wave rising up, feeling Inage not taking the bait and continuing on to 'men'.

Uchimura's kote on Teramoto is also sublime. Here he feels the air with his shinai, tempting Teramoto to raise which he does for a men strike. Uchimura then closes distance fast for kote.

I was taught in both kendo and Western Fencing to touch blades with your opponent in order to feel the energy, or indeed to fool your adversary into striking or parrying in a particular way. These guys seem to have extended that out and are doing a similar thing without even touching blades. They're simply using the air around the blades! This interaction is much more subtle than sticky hands but I think just as relevant as a form of 'contact improvisation' where two energies interact and work around each other.

Nobody likes Tae Kwon Do (or everybody hates being kicked in the head)

Well, the commentator certainly found this kick "impresionante" but what I found interesting was that the guy was falling over and still had the presence of mind (or was it just an intense, drilled, fighting mind) to kick as he went down...

Incredibly shabby handwork! These guys were within hand striking distance but didn't even look like they'd be prepared to swat a passing fly, let alone hit each other with their hands. They didn't seem to block with their arms either. It has to be said though that I have trained with the University Tae Kwon Do squad and those guys are really sharp with their legs: rapid and strong so *if* you can get past their legs and through their leg guard you can be effective, if not you get thumped on the way in.

But you know what, I'm not going to churn out all the old chestnuts about Tae Kwon Do because it seems that many other martial artists look down upon it anyway, so I don't need to.

Surely though, all 'games' (or disciplines if you prefer) have rules? You wouldn't pick the ball up in football would you?

More on Aaron Cook, British Tae Kwon Do Olympic 2012 hopeful, here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/taekwondo/8676257.stm

Practice

Most everyone has heard "practice makes perfect".  If only it were that simple!  Some more accurate quotes:

1. Practice makes permanent.
2. They say 'practice makes perfect.' Of course, it doesn't. For the vast majority of golfers it merely consolidates imperfection. -- Henry Longhurst
3. Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect. -- Vince Lombardi
   

Through repetition we burn movements into our brains and bodies, making them easier to repeat (for good or bad).  It is difficult to unlearn one way of doing things and replace or augment it with a better way; but unlearning is an unavoidable part of learning, and worth getting good at.  If we practice to do one thing, we'll need to practice further to undo it or evolve it into something else.  In practicing a new way, I discover how deeply ingrained the old way was -- habits are hard to change!  So:

1. Practice as if you are the worst, perform as if you are the best.
2. When you are not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you meet him he will win -- Ed Macauley
3. It's not necessarily the amount of time you spend at practice that counts; it's what you put into the practice. -- Eric Lindros

Finally, practice can be profound:

1. Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired. -- Martha Graham
2. We learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. -- Martha Graham (again)

Now go (and get really good at) practice!

Bad news for sausage lovers

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8688104.stm

"Eating processed meat such as sausages increases the likelihood of heart disease, while red meat does not seem to be as harmful, a study suggests."

One person's solution (not very complicated idea, but nicely put):