Martial Arts – Daibo Zen

June 5, 2020

From the Great Cosmic Mirror

From the great cosmic mirror

Without beginning and without end,

Human society became manifest.

At that time liberation and confusion arose.

When fear and doubt occurred

Towards the confidence which is primordially free,

Countless multitudes of cowards arose.

When the confidence which is primordially free

Was followed and delighted in,

Countless multitudes of warriors arose.

Those countless multitudes of cowards

Hid themselves in caves and jungles.

They killed their brothers and sisters and ate their flesh,

They followed the example of beasts,

They provoked terror in each other;

Thus they took their own lives.

They kindled a great fire of hatred,

They constantly roiled the river of lust,

They wallowed in the mud of laziness:

The age of famine and plague arose.

Of those who were dedicated to the primordial confidence,

The many hosts of warriors,

Some went to highland mountains

And erected beautiful castles of crystal.

Some went to the lands of beautiful lakes and islands

And erected lovely palaces.

And sowed fields of barley, rice and wheat.

They were without quarrel,

Ever loving and very generous.

Without encouragement, through their self-existing inscrutability,

They were always devoted to the Imperial Rigden

(from Shambhala 1984 Chogyam Trungpa)

The Shambhala teachings enumerated above by Chogyam Trungpa is founded on the premise that there is basic human wisdom that can solve the worlds problems. This wisdom is a tradition of human warriorship that has existed in many cultures and times through-out human history.

Warriorship here does not refer to making war on others but is taken to mean one who is Brave. Following in a tradition of fearlessness, not being afraid of “Who You Are”. To discover what inherently we have to offer the world. To see what is contained in our personal experiences that is of value to helping others and uplifting their experience and our collective condition. This is the Sacred Path of the Warrior.

To help in this discernment, in future installments, we will examine both the hard and soft traits that define a Warrior. Hard traits such as: Confidence, Strength, Self-Control, Discipline, Action and Bravery. Soft traits such as: Self-Awareness, Patience, Humility, Loyalty, Honesty and Loving Kindness. Where possible, we will endeavor to examine these traits within the context of the Buddha’s Eight-Fold Path. Please join me during this difficult time and enter Shambhala – The Sacred Path of the Warrior.

May 2, 2020

How to Practice Effectively

What is Mastery? Mastery comes with deliberete practice. This type of practice is geared towards repitition with an eye on increasing proficiency, confidence and competence. Typically specific tasks are practice and then combined with other tasks to exhibit more complex skills.

It is not the quantity of practice that is important but rather the quality. Now don’t get me wrong, you have to put in the required time and the right effort to master anything complex. But, short focused practice is the way to achieve mastery over time. Please watch the youtube video above for a description of what I mean.

April 14, 2020

Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast

The “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” concept likely has its origins in the Military. Practicing at reduced speeds will make you faster when you go full speed. Full speed is often slower than you think, and there is a difference between going full speed and being rushed. When you are rushed you stumble, fumble, and are generally all thumbs (or have two left feet). When you go full speed, you are going as fast as you can comfortably go. Martial artists do this, Soldiers do this, in fact, anyone trying to master a technique would do well to practice slowly and increase speed only when it’s comfortable.

The exact origins of the term are disputed. Doc Holiday said, “Take your time in a hurry” to describe how to win a gunfight. Some also attribute the quote to Sergeant Alvin York (Medal of Honor recipient), others to Wyatt Earp. One thing is for sure, all three were accomplished gunfighters, so the origin of the quote is less important than the truth of it.

April 13, 2020

Dry Fire – Training like a Martial Artist for Competition

In Martial Arts Training, part of the curriculum is learning Forms or Kata. These forms are a physical library of the techniques associated with the rank (belt) the student has achieved. Each new form builds on the previous form and together they represent the training/academic side of the art. This side of the art is stress free training and is meant to be learned through slow perfect practice and then brought up to the desired tempo.

These form techniques are meant to be further refined, and once mastered, brought into the real world through self-defense training and sparring which represent the functional/improvisational side of the art. This is where training is brought to bear on real life situations.

To me, Dry Fire Training feels like Kata. Take the entire Draw to Shot sequence for example. This sequence can be broken down into many distinct movements or techniques:

Procuring the master grip in the holster
Removing the pistol and pointing the muzzle towards the target
Procuring the two-hand grip
Pressing the pistol out to the target
Obtaining the sight picture and re-aligning the sights
Pressing the trigger

You can probably even break them down further if necessary. The point is that this sequence really no different than:

Low block
Front kick
Middle block
Punch

If you think about it. When I practice dry fire training, I view the training as a choreographed sequence of a library of techniques. For me, it helps to slow me down and it adds a sense of reverence to the practice, a desire to do it perfectly. Because once I learn the form perfectly and have embodied the techniques, I won’t have to think about them when I need them in a competition. The techniques will just be there.

March 20, 2020April 21, 2020

Navy Seals Inspiration – Is there Zen here?

https://youtu.be/HR_zvFuvkEc

Once a year I watch this video for inspiration. Not as much for the military aspect as an example of how to overcome obstacles in life. Look past the agression and you will see young men embracing not-knowing on a moment by moment basis and expressing what arises authentically. This is the closest any modern military training method has approached the Bushido Code of the Samuari. There is Zen here, can you find it?

March 18, 2020March 18, 2020

Tae Kwon Do Training 2

During this difficult time of social distancing due to COVID-19, many of our beloved Martial Arts Schools have closed due to the outbreak. In an effort to maintain my training, I have developed this short workout routine to keep my skills sharp and body flexible.

Stretching – 4 breaths per each stretch per side

Trunk twisting exercise
Neck up/down
Neck side/side
Neck circles
Neck side stretch
Shoulders roll back
Shoulders roll front
Arm swings
Arm pull across/back
Hip rotations
Hip front/back
Hip side/side
Hip side stretch
Knee rotations
Standing forward bend
Left leg / Right leg to side
Left leg / Right all the way down
Back practice
Standing left/right touching
Standing wide angle forward bend
Seated left/right touching
Seated wide angle forward bend
Seated forward bend
Left/right spine twist
Ankle rotation seated one leg forward bend with side kick stretch
Butterfly stretch
Fire logs
Lying glute stretch
Kneeling trunk twist
Kneeling back bend
Cat/Cow
Cat stretch
Cobra stretch
Downward Dog
Standing forward bend

Kicking – 4x each side

Front lifting kick w/turn
Front kick & jumping front kick w/turn
Roundhouse kick & jumping roundhouse kick w/turn
Side kick w/turn
Skipping side kick w/turn

Forms

As Tae Kwon Do practitioners studying World Tae Kwon Do administered by the Kukkiwon in South Korea, we have access to all the official Colored Belt and Black Belt forms via You Tube. Please click the following Tae Kwon Do Forms Link TKDEsra for access. Happy practice.

March 17, 2020

Tae Kwon Do Training

During this difficult time of social distancing due to COVID-19, many of our beloved Martial Arts Schools have closed due to the outbreak. I an effort to maintain my training, I have committed to myself to practice ALL my forms 3-4 times per week. This includes all colored belt forms, black belt forms and weapons forms. Done with focused concentration, these exercises can be both embodiment practice as well as physical training.

As a Tae Kwon Do practitioner studying World Tae Kwon Do administered by the Kukkiwon in South Korea, we have access to all the official Colored Belt and Black Belt forms via You Tube. Please click the following Tae Kwon Do Forms Link TKDEsra for access. Happy practice.