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Mushin Part 1

Apr 12
Posted by admin in Aikido, Aikido for young people, Community, news, Shudokan

Why do people practice martial arts? What do they want to achieve? What’s their goal? When they walk into a dojo, many of them are looking for a system of self-defence. Or maybe they want to get into better shape. Or they want to be able to master an art. Or they want to be able to do something with their bodies that is so powerful and so beautiful that it seems almost magical.

The student enters the dojo environment with all these expectations and more. They hope to master many things, and they expect to be able to monitor their own progress as time goes on. How? The martial arts ranking system. A student moves up in rank as their skill improves; everyone knows that. You get a series of coloured belts that are meant to signify improvement. Every white belt wants to be a yellow belt, every yellow belt wants to be a green belt, every green belt wants to be a brown belt and, of course, everybody wants to be a black belt.

If you face an opponent, you cannot be in Mushin. There are no opponents where there are no thoughts.

Over the past 30 years, the industry has helped promote the idea that every student’s goal is black belt. And with that expectation, it becomes the master’s job is to take raw students and produce black belt students. To some extent, a martial arts program is defined by how many people they train to the level of black belt. This plays very well to the Western mind-set. We love setting goals and keeping track of what we’re doing and where we’re going, how well we’re doing it and what we’re going to achieve next. We do it in our careers. We do it in our hobbies. We do it in our relationships. And so we do it in martial arts.

The problem is, ‘martial arts’ is not Western. Martial arts is ultimately about learning to change your state of consciousness, to develop new and more effective ways of seeing and thinking and acting. There is nothing linear about this type of education. You may be able to track your physical practice through a ranking system, but you cannot measure how practice changes you mentally or emotionally. There is no tool to measure consciousness. Focusing on a progression of coloured belts, advancing from point A to point B is less important, once we realize that martial arts is more than physical.

Going from Thought to No-Mind

The direct translation of Mushin is “no-mind.” This is a difficult concept. It’s especially difficult to think about or discuss. How do you discuss entering a state in which the mind isn’t active, when it’s the mind that is trying to process the information?

But that’s how we start. At the beginning, there’s thought, and lots of discussion. When you walk into a dojo, like walking down a path, you can’t skip ahead. You can’t start at the beginning and magically appear at the middle or the end. You have to take each step one at a time to proceed. So we start with thought and move toward a state of no-mind.

Most thoughts have an “I” connected to them, supporting the ego and individuality. Mushin being the state where thoughts cease, help connect us with the oneness.

The very first thing you must do in your practice is to learn to perform the techniques correctly. The kicks, the blocks, the punches, the forms — you must try to get your body to move accurately, correctly, skilfully. And the effort of trying demands that you think about it, intensely. So, in the beginning of your practice, a great deal of thought takes place. You consider each movement, analyze what’s correct and incorrect. You take notes, you ask questions, you practice your way through clumsiness and frustration until you begin to move fluidly, cleanly. And, at some point, if you’re patient, and you persevere and work hard and meditate, you begin to think fluidly and cleanly as well, and you start to be able to let the body just happen. I’m not saying it happens quickly, but I am suggesting that getting beyond the merely physical aspects of practice is the whole point of practice.

To the great masters, the goal of martial arts was not a black belt. The masters did not practice for trophies or rank. They practiced in order to achieve a state of consciousness. It doesn’t matter the style — karate, kung fu, tae kwon do, aikido. You don’t change what you’re practicing, you change how you’re practicing. More punches and more kicks are not going to lead you to a shift in consciousness. You cannot just train harder to get there. That will help your physical technique, but we’re talking about Mushin now, a state of mind.

Thinking is good except when you are supposed to be experiencing and feeling.

Read next Thursday’s post for part 2.

Osu,

Sensei Matt, Shudokan Black Belt Academy – Aikido Nottingham

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Concious Relaxation

Apr 05
Posted by admin in Aikido, Community, news, Shudokan

Relax, Focus, Relax

Relaxation is a crucial component of practice. No matter what techniques we’re practicing, no matter what drills we’re performing, relaxation is the beginning of all technique. Relax the breath, relax the body, relax the mind. It is, in fact, the underlying mental state with which we must approach our practice at all times. Look at it this way. Practicing forms, basics, one-steps; sparring with a bag, sparring with a partner— no matter the activity, we need to be fully present to be able to execute the art correctly. Technique can only improve, understanding can only grow, when we are utterly mindful of what we are doing in each moment. Otherwise, repetition is not a learning experience, it’s just repetitive. And to be fully present in the moment, we need to relax.

Yes, we all understand the importance of being able to perform technique with power, with incredible explosiveness. But you have to appreciate the interrelationship between explosive speed, power and relaxation. To perform any strike, kick or lock with power, you must go from 0% tension to 100% tension just before the moment of focus, the moment of contact. You have to maintain that 100% focused tension as you drive 2-6 inches through your target, and then go back to 0% tension as you withdraw the strike. We also understand that greater speed helps to create greater force. But to really generate speed, the body has to be relaxed. You cannot throw a punch or a kick quickly if your body is tense. An instructor can tell you to pivot, rotate, or fix your stance, put your hand here, re-cock your leg. But how do you teach people to relax? It’s a feeling. It’s a state of body and a state of mind. Most students come in and they swear that they are relaxed. But, they have at least 30% tension in their arms and their legs and their torsos. They just don’t understand the concept; they don’t know what 100% relaxation feels like. If you have 30% tension in your body, then even if you throw your technique perfectly, the best you can do is to go from 30% tension to 100% tension. The maximum power you can achieve comes from about 70% focus. You need to be completely relaxed until the moment of focus, then drive through with total focus, and relax again for the next strike. This is part of the rationale behind Bruce Lee’s famous “1 inch punch.” Relax, focus, relax.

To relax the body, you must relax the mind

Most of our tension comes from mental stress and anxiety that we hold in our bodies. You’re not going to relax your body as long as your mind is active, worrying, anticipating, and judging. We see this all the time — when a student is studying, when they’re really trying to figure out a new concept, when their mind is very focused on what they are trying to learn, they tense their muscles, their posture becomes terrible, and you can see the stress in their body. There’s a clear mind-body connection. So, to be completely relaxed, you not only must discipline the body, you must have discipline of the mind.

How do we gain discipline over the mind? At this point, I’m sure you all know the answer to that question. You simply must meditate. When you still your mind and slow your breath, the body starts to relax. You have to practice your diaphragmatic breathing, because breathing deeply and slowly from the secca tunda will lead to relaxed breathing. This is an absolute: for the body to be relaxed, the mind must be relaxed. When the mind is tense, the body is tense. So what causes the mind to be tense? Anxious thoughts.

Sensory stimulation combines with memory to create thoughts that, in turn, create anticipation, imagination and anxiety about what happened or didn’t happen or might happen or won’t happen. You need to remain here, in the present, and to do that you need the ability to take control of your thoughts. If you have discipline over your mind, you can think about whatever you want for as long as you want. You can focus for as long a period as you desire. If you have control over your mind, you have the ability to experience the senses or to unplug them. When you have control, you can engage in pleasant memory, or fantasy, or imagination when you want to, and still be focused here in the moment. This is why I insist that meditation is the foundation of martial arts — because there is such an inseparable link between the mind and the body.

Find Stillness Within Motion

Say you’re practicing with another student — you’re sparring with them and you miss a block. You get hit. Your natural reaction is to tense up. The body has been injured, or at least assaulted. Maybe a little fear kicks in, and your mind starts jumping around – “Darn it, I missed that one. Geez, that was fast. What’s he going to throw next? Quick, hit him.” As you start to think and you start to anticipate, your body and mind become less and less relaxed. If you recognize that you’ve lost focus, you then start to get angry at yourself. More distracting thoughts. Each thought infuses the body with a little more tension, a little more stress. More tension equals less speed and you become a little slower and you make another error and soon, there’s no way you can function at your skill level. You’re just throwing junk, trying not to get hit.

Stilling the mind, relaxing the body, calming the spirit — this is not just for silent moments sitting quietly in a darkened room or beside a peaceful river. Yes, this is where we learn to meditate, where conditions are optimal for stillness. But, unless you plan to live in solitude, you need to bring these principles into your life in general. You need to be able to relax and remain centred during the most energetic moments in your practice, the most frenzied moments of your day-to-day life. When the punches and the kicks are coming at you in full-out sparring, the degree of relaxation and stillness you can achieve in your mind and in your body will determine how quickly, how powerfully and how efficiently you will be able to perform. When the phone is ringing off the hook, and the client is annoyed, and the boss wants you at a meeting in 30 minutes and they’re calling from school because your kid scraped her leg in the playground — your effectiveness, success and ultimately the very quality of your entire life is determined by the degree of relaxation and stillness you can achieve in your mind and in your body.

Take control of your mind; take control of your life

Most of us are careful about what we put into our bodies. We understand that tobacco and alcohol can impair our health. While we may not always eat correctly, we’re generally aware of what constitutes a healthy or unhealthy diet. We know we’re supposed to get enough sleep, stretch and work out, etc. We’re far less concerned or aware of the importance of what we put into our minds. But this is so important. If we want our minds to function at their best and stay relaxed, then we have to be very careful of how we treat our minds, and what we put in there.

Most of us watch way too much television. And the nature of television in recent years is to create loud, shocking statements and images. What happens is that 3-4 hours a day of bright, loud, dazzling words and images fills our minds with anxiety and anticipation and fantasy, and our bodies with stress and tension. To consciously relax, we must practice clearing our minds of all this noise. It would be helpful to this process if there weren’t quite so much noise to contend with. Take control of what goes into your mind.

Most of us have jobs that are stressful, full of deadlines and last minute emergencies, surprises from the boss or the client. If martial arts is more than just punching and kicking, more than just winning contests — then it must be applicable off the mats, outside the dojo as well. What does it mean that we call this the practice of martial arts? It means that when you practice techniques in the dojo, you are learning so much more than how to throw a punch correctly. You’re learning how to focus, how to relax, how to coordinate mind and body. You’re learning how to remain calm under stress. You’re learning how to work hard with all your concentration, yet not so hard as to hurt yourself. You’re learning to work with a partner and you’re becoming sensitive to motion and energy, both within yourself and in the world around you.

These are all valuable skills outside the dojo as well, in our everyday life. Don’t imagine that your practice begins and ends at edge of the mat. When you remain calm in a crisis at work and patiently solve the problem, you are practicing martial arts. When you have a difference of opinion with your teenager (or with your parents) and you insist on maintaining the energy of conversation and not that of confrontation, you are practicing martial arts. When you can’t sleep at 3:00 a.m. because of all the hectic activity in your life, and you patiently watch the breath and calm your mind, you are discovering what it means to be a martial artist, in ways far more meaningful than merely winning a punching and kicking contest.

Just sleeping and taking vacations is not enough

Most people believe that they are relaxed when they sleep. This may be as relaxed as they get, but I would argue that, for many people, sleep is not as restful as they imagine. Dreaming is supposed to be restorative, but we all know that what we see and hear and think during the day affects our dreams at night. Dreaming involves a subconscious recognition of the thoughts that are already at play in your mind. Regardless of the state of consciousness, it’s still your mind. Do you meditate before sleep? Do you still your mind for 15-20 minutes before you let the dreams begin unfolding? So sleep isn’t necessarily complete rest. Now, you might say, “Well, when I go on vacation, I can really relax — I’m getting away from the stress of my life.” Well, there are two problems with this. First, at best it’s a temporary fix, since you can’t live on vacation. Secondly, have you ever gone somewhere that you really planned and mapped out — you were going to be with the people you loved and it was going to be wonderful, and then you got there and it just was a mess? You know, the weather was bad, the food was bad, you argued with your loved ones, it just didn’t work out. We put a lot of energy into our getaways, we have a lot of emotional investment in everything being perfect and, sometimes, stuff just happens. It’s no one’s fault, but things don’t work out. And then the vacation becomes more stressful than day-to-day life. How many times have you heard people say “Man, I need a vacation to recuperate from my vacation.”? So physically getting away isn’t necessarily a means of relaxation either.

We need to be able to achieve a calm peaceful state on a day-to-day basis, here in the present, in order to function at complete capacity. On the mats or off. We need to truly be able to relax our body and relax our mind at a moment’s notice. It’s your body; it’s your mind. You should have the skills to do that. Take control of your breath; the state of the breath reflects the state of the mind. Take control of your mind; the state of the mind reflects the state of the body. Martial arts are based on sensitivity and awareness. It is truly a path that encompasses your entire life.

Osu,

Sensei Matt, Shudokan Black Belt Academy – Aikido Nottingham

 

 

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News Update Monday 2nd April

Apr 02
Posted by admin in Aikido, Aikido for young people

Training Focus

Monday; Ikkajo

Tuesday; Nikkajo

Wednesday; Sankajo

Thursday; Yonkajo

Friday; Shihonage/Tenchinage & Jo

Saturday; Kotegaeshi & Bokken/Shinai

 Junior/Cadet Testing Module

  • All students Green Belt and below will be tested on their Basic Level, all above will be tested on their Advanced Level.
  • For Juniors Level 1 is ‘Basic’ and Level 2 is ‘Advanced’
  • For Cadets Level 2 is ‘Basic’ and Level 3 is ‘Advanced’

Kids’ Mat Chat For April

Osu,

Sensei Matt, Shudokan Black Belt Academy – Aikido Nottingham

 

 

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Peaks, Valleys and Plateaus Part 2

Mar 29
Posted by admin in Aikido, Aikido for young people, Community, news, Shudokan

Dedicate Your Life to Something!

It’s ironic that we show such respect and honor to people that have dedicated their lives to their art, sport, discipline or craft. Deep down, we all admire perseverance. We recognize that no one gets as good as they can possibly be at anything without struggling, without pushing through their limitations and overcoming plateaus. When you’re on a plateau for a extended period of time, you may actually feel that you are going backwards; you start to see your technique as declining. This is actually a very good sign, and here’s why. Progress alternates continually in two ways:

1. An understanding of what you should be doing, and

2. The physical execution of technique.

When you see yourself as declining, what is really happening is that your awareness has been elevated, you understand what you should be doing in a much deeper way. The next step is to learn how to physically execute what you now understand.

A student went to his teacher and said,

“My meditation is horrible! I feel so distracted, or my legs ache, or I’m constantly falling asleep.

It’s just horrible!”                       

“It will pass,” the teacher said matter-of-factly.

A week later, the student came back to his teacher.

“My meditation is wonderful! I feel so aware, so peaceful, so alive! It’s just wonderful!”

“It will pass,” the teacher replied matter-of-factly.

An Advanced Technique is a Basic Technique that’s been Mastered

This internal and external circular process of confusion, analysis, understanding, execution and progress will continue throughout your practice. The curriculum becomes confusing, then you suddenly realize the deeper subtlety of what you’re really trying to learn, and now you must get your body to perform these “new” subtle details. For example, a white belt that has been practicing for just a couple of months has difficulty seeing the difference between the way they throw techniques and the way that senior students execute the same techniques. To make progress, they must first understand the differences. When they do, when they’re hit with, “Oh, so that’s what I should be doing,” they can feel overwhelmed. However, with awareness, comes the beginning of new growth. Once you understand the difference between correct and incorrect details, you can adjust and progress. Now practice becomes exciting again because you realize there’s so much new to learn. You feel like you’re improving, and your life outside the dojo becomes less stressful, as if your martial arts practice is improving your life in general. You can’t believe your good fortune in finding something this authentic, this much fun and this useful. You quietly commit to yourself to practice forever.

Until months later, when you feel like you’re never going to get any better. You’re frustrated. And then you suddenly realize that there’s yet another level to that same technique.

“Oh,” you say, “Now I get it!”

And here we go again…

Story

Sam began his martial arts practice at the age of eight. By the time he was fifteen he was fighting in full contact tournaments. Now at 19, he held a 2nd degree black belt.

One day Sam’s dad peeked into the garage and saw Sam pounding furiously on the heavy bag. While trying to get Sam’s attention, he noticed blood all over the floor. Sam had been punching the bag for over an hour without gloves. The canvas bag had ripped his knuckles to shreds. After stopping Sam from hitting the bag, he calmed him down and asked what he was so upset about. Sam told his dad that he had been beaten in a sparring match earlier that night. It wasn’t the first time that Sam had lost a match, but the student who had beaten him was someone that had not practiced nearly as long and, in fact, was someone who Sam had introduced to martial arts. He had helped this student learn his basics.

After listening to Sam, his dad said, “Well, maybe you are as good as you are going to get. I mean, you have come a long way and this is the first guy that you taught basics to that beat you, but you know it won’t be the last.” Then his dad added, “There is a story that I want to share with you. There was a little boy that wanted was to play professional baseball. That’s all he ever wanted to do. He played every single day, for years. He played on school teams, in rec leagues, on travel teams — this boy was real good, and he loved playing ball, but you know what? He never made it to the pro leagues. Then, there was this other kid that never even picked up a baseball until he was seventeen. I mean, he liked playing ball, but it was just something fun to do. Three years after he started, he was playing professional baseball. Sam, you just never know. You’ve come a long way in martial arts, but maybe you’re as good as you’re going to get.”

Sam was at a plateau and he had a decision to make. Would he continue to practice or was he done? He gave it some thought and decided that whether or not he ever got any better, he was going to keep practicing.

Before the world finds a place for you, find a place for yourself in the world.

Several years later, Sam was sitting down with his instructor for a cup of coffee, and shared the story. After listening closely, his instructor said, “Your dad was right. We all hit plateaus, and the body does have limitations. If martial arts were merely a physical activity, then these limitations would determine our ability to advance. Fortunately, martial arts is also a mental discipline. It’s not a coincidence that so many great masters were at their peak well into their 60’s, 70’s, even 80’s. You need to spend more time developing your concentration, your breathing sensitivity and awareness. Practice with deep attention to details, be mindful always, and you will continue to improve beyond any mere physical limitation.”

A man who strikes first is usually angry or scared. As Martial Artists, we should strive to avoid both.

Summery

Plateaus are normal and natural and experienced by everyone. Plateaus are really a great means of insight into the way that you are thinking about practice. Are you thinking that you should be better by now? Are you thinking that it’s hopeless, that you will never get any better? Maybe you think that everyone else is getting it but you.

When you are aware of this negative self-talk and internal dialog, you can begin to put a stop to it. The most important thing is not to become too attached to these thoughts, believing them to be true. They are just thoughts.

Osu,

Sensei Matt, Shudokan Black Belt Academy – Aikido Nottingham

 

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Peaks, Valleys and Plateaus Part 1

Mar 22
Posted by admin in Aikido, Aikido for young people, Community, news, Shudokan

This Too Shall Pass

By now you know that practice is a process to be experienced, not a result to be achieved. It’s a journey, not a destination. Sometimes though, it feels a lot like a roller coaster. You always seem to be hitting peaks and falling into valleys. Some days, you feel great about your practice. You feel strong, powerful, flexible, focused. Your cardio is good and your techniques are crisp and clean. You can’t get enough of these days. Other times, you feel overwhelmed, sloppy, distracted. You keep looking up at the clock. You wonder if you’re ever going to get any better at this. Sometimes these peaks and valleys last for awhile — weeks, maybe months.

Sometimes we look so intently toward the pinnacle, that we stumble over the steps leading to it. Development begins just where you are.

Obviously no one loses interest in practice during a peak. You’re excited, you feel like you’re improving, your life outside the dojo is somehow becoming less stressful, as if your martial arts practice is actually improving your life in general. You can’t believe your good fortune in finding something this authentic, this much fun and this useful. But that’s the nature of riding the peak. Sad to say, it doesn’t last. All the discipline and focus in the world can’t stop your practice from periodically dropping into a valley. The point is to be careful that these low points don’t steal your practice from you. Don’t lose sight of the fact that a valley is simply a lull between two peaks. These valleys don’t reflect a sudden breakdown in physical ability, but a shift in how you feel about practice. It’s not your physical execution of technique that’s slipping, you still know how to do all the things you were doing last week — but your mood, your attitude has changed.

In practice as in life, many people’s true potential goes unrealized for one reason: they do not follow through when things gets difficult. They forget that, given enough time, change is certain. Most people have a tendency to give up when the tables turn, instead of sticking it out until the tables turn again. They rationalize, “Oh, I’ve got no will power,” but this is a self-perpetuating rationalization.

Success is not permanent. The same is true of failure.

Will power, like a muscle, needs to be exercised. You need to take control. Undisciplined will is a lazy, spoiled child; every time a situation becomes difficult, it seeks the path of least resistance — to give up. Each time you give in to the spoiled child, each time you shrug and give up, you increase the chance that that same spoiled brat will show up when things get tough in the future. Each difficult period you ride out builds a stronger will, as you take charge of your life, and begin to become someone who follows through on commitments.

You’re Not Really Stuck!

More dangerous to your practice than these alternating peaks and valleys is the plateau. A plateau is a significant period of time when you feel that you are not getting any better. It differs from a peak or valley in that these ups and downs continue even when you are on a plateau. You have good days and you have bad days but, over the longer run, you don’t really seem to be getting any better or any worse. Your practice seems to have just flattened out. A plateau can last several months or even a year. You may test for a new rank, learn a new form, even be introduced to different parts of the curriculum. Regardless of these external benchmarks, you still feel like you’re on a plateau and that you’re not making any real progress.

In life, you will experience peaks and valleys. Take care not to turn the valleys into nests; transforming them into plateaus and perhaps even destinations.

Let’s analyze this phenomenon. In the first nine months of your practice, you learned more over one short stretch than you ever will again. This is only logical. When you came into this practice, you knew nothing of this art. You were a complete novice and everything was new and exciting. There was, literally, everything to learn. In each class, you tried as hard as you could to perform the physical technique and to understand the philosophy behind it. You might go home a little confused, sore and tired, but you knew you were learning, you were getting it, and maybe, just maybe, someday you would be as good as some of the senior students. Even when this initial period seemed to slow down, you were still progressing remarkably quickly — learning terminology, technique, philosophy and principles. Your practice became something very special to you, and soon you couldn’t imagine yourself not going to the dojo. You wondered many times how you ever made it through life without this special place, and quietly committed to yourself to practice forever.

Overcoming Frustration Through Understanding

Now, let’s fast forward to the present day. You have practiced for at least one year, and if you haven’t already hit a plateau, you are very close. You’re expected to keep improving your basics, but the techniques you already know aren’t really getting any better and the new techniques are even more difficult. It’s not just your physical practice either. The newness of it all has worn off. You’re discovering that Christmas morning is more exciting than Christmas afternoon, and why, three weeks later, you’re not entirely sure what you wanted these presents for in the first place.

Wisdom is not what you can remember, but what you cannot forget.

This is a very different phase of practice than your first year. If you expect to continue to learn as quickly as you did in the beginning, you will become frustrated.

Look at it this way. You began your practice at zero (not even knowing how to do the techniques) and hoped to someday achieve ten (mastery of the art). You may go from zero to four or five relatively quickly but, from five on up, all growth is incremental and is increasingly more difficult. In other words, learning how to perform the gross motor skills involved in the technique and forms of your art may only take a year or two (zero to five on the scale), but complete physical mastery and deep understanding of these same techniques (six to ten on the scale) can take twenty or thirty more years. You cannot hope to make progress at the same rate year after year. Eventually, when you have practiced martial arts for many years, well over 90% of your time will be spent on plateaus.

One of the reasons that people become a jack of all trades and never master anything is because they get excited about the initial pace at which they learn a new subject. Whether it is mountain biking, rock climbing, golf or any new activity, there is a rapid learning curve in the beginning which invariably tapers off. Once they hit their first plateau, most people start looking for a new way to spend their time. They’ve got the basic moves, and they’re not learning as quickly, so they

rationalize that they’ve learned most of what there is to learn. The activity is no longer instantly, quantifiably exciting, and so it’s on to a new activity, a new thrill, maybe a new style of martial arts. This may or may not be a conscious decision, but people, especially in the West, have short attention spans. As progress wanes, so does motivation.

Your future is dictated by your deepest desire. Take care that your deepest desire is always to realize the self.

Sometimes you feel stuck at a plateau for so long that it appears that you are as good as you are ever going to get. Take care not to build a nest, turning the plateau into a comfort zone. A plateau can feel frustrating and confining and, sometimes, all you want is to reach that next level. That’s fine; you can find motivation in that attitude. It’s when you become too comfortable, when you become resigned to where you are, that a plateau becomes a comfort zone. Double your efforts and keep practicing. Talk to your teacher. Everyone has been through this. This is the meaning of the saying, “Learn to love the practice and not just the progress.”

Tell me, I’ll forget. Show me, I may remember. But involve me and I’ll understand. This is why Martial Arts should always be taught face-to-face.

Check Next Thursday’s post for part 2

Osu,

Sensei Matt, Shudokan Black Belt Academy – Aikido Nottingham

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News Update Monday 19th March

Mar 19
Posted by admin in Aikido, Aikido for young people, Community, news, Shudokan

Training Focus

March is a five week month for us so this week is another Curriculum week. This is your chance to focus on what YOU need to learn before next week.

Junior Cadet Testing Module

Next week the Juniors and Cadets will be tested on the techniques featured in the video below. Make sure you know your stuff.

  • All students Green Belt and below will be tested on their Basic Level, all above will be tested on their Advanced Level.
  • For Juniors Level 1 is ‘Basic’ and Level 2 is ‘Advanced’
  • For Cadets Level 2 is ‘Basic’ and Level 3 is ‘Advanced’

Osu,

Sensei Matt, Shudokan Black Belt Academy – Aikido Nottingham

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News Update Thursday 15th March

Mar 15
Posted by admin in Aikido, Aikido for young people, Community, news, Shudokan

Sharing the Art—the Student/Teacher Relationship

An ancient Chinese proverb says that when the student is ready the teacher will appear. Once the light of inspiration begins to glow in the heart of a pupil, the influence of a great teacher expands infinitely. Historically in Asia, a martial arts instructor’s status was similar to that of the clergy or great philosophy masters. They were recognized as very wise individuals and were highly respected in the community.

The Yin and Yang of Practice

The path of martial arts is one of personal growth and self-discovery. What is the student’s responsibility in the learning process? You will be learning new techniques and interesting concepts. Each class will be challenging, but fun.

May your practice always strengthen you in mind, body, and spirit.        

Many students say that studying martial arts is one of the most exciting things they have ever done. Most of our students have wanted to study martial arts for a long time, but, for whatever reason, have put it off.

Having mixed feelings of excitement and frustration in the beginning of your practice is normal. You might even feel uncoordinated and clumsy. Within the first couple of months, through regular practice, you will gain greater command of your body and begin executing techniques much better. This cycle of excitement and frustration will continue throughout your practice. The cycles change as your understanding, techniques, and attitude transform. The key is to remain enthusiastic. See each frustration as an indication of what you need to practice. Having an open communication with your teacher is vital. Their guidance and the nurturing environment of the school, will keep you on track, focused, and moving towards your highest potential.

“What is the greatest thing a teacher can teach? This is what you must think about. What is the greatest thing a student can learn? This is what you must think about.”

Kensho Furuya

Who is Responsible for the Learning Process?

People have different ideas of the true meaning of a student/teacher relationship. Basically, in the West, the student’s only duty is to show up. That is about it. The teacher bears most of the responsibility in the learning process, with little accountability on the student. The teacher searches for ways to effectively communicate, motivating and teaching the student, even if the student is not trying very hard. Should the student not succeed, the belief is that the teacher failed-he should work harder to teach. So, he repeatedly tries varying methods, until the student, despite his insincere attitude, eventually gets it. This method is not always effective, and rarely does a student internalize the real essence of the teaching. Only by direct personal experience do we really understand anything. We must have our own investment in the learning process.

The Value of Concentration and Discipline

Traditionally in Asia, not everyone was allowed to study martial arts. Great masters would accept only students who could prove they were motivated and willing to meet high expectations. The students held most of the responsibility for the learning process. Teachers were usually serious and rather gruff, demonstrating techniques silently, or with very few words. The students had to concentrate hard to follow and learn each technique, ands a result, awareness and sensitivity increased. Students worked very hard to keep their mind under control, because teachers did not repeat for wandering minds. In this environment, new students were almost sure to miss something, simply because their understanding had not evolved enough to grasp the complicated concepts. Classes were never adjusted for beginning students. As you can imagine, many people became frustrated and quit their practice. For those who continued, their beginner’s wisdom expanded slowly through trial and error and they moved down the path of growth and realization.

This model of teaching seems rather brutal, but some aspects are effective. Self-discovery is a very powerful way to learn. By exerting great effort to grasp the knowledge for yourself, you absorb the lesson completely, making it a part of your very being. You are not just mimicking or memorizing something that you will forget in a few months. You’ve discovered it on your own and it is important to you. When the teacher just spouts forth the information, repeating again and again, students really don’t have to listen carefully, and probably won’t comprehend how the lesson affects their life.

The difference between a master and a novice is that the master makes use of each opportunity in life as well as in practice.

A Powerful Way to Learn

The student/teacher relationship that we employ is somewhere in between these two examples. The learning process should be a partnership. The instructor’s job is to help students grow and learn. The students’ job is to work as hard as possible to absorb the lesson. The instructor motivates and explains concepts and techniques, but the student must exert maximum effort by paying close attention, concentrating in every moment. In class, if your mind begins to wander, banish those random thoughts, and bring attention back to the class. You will learn quicker and will increase your concentration in the process.

Everyone should learn the excitement of self discovery. A great teacher points the way down a path, but does not necessarily walk hand in hand with his student on the entire journey. Sometimes, an instructor might even set up obstacles in the path, instigating change and re-evaluation on the students’ part. He forces students to go around, over or through. After all, by facing challenges and dealing with change, we all develop a stronger will, and greater character.

Communicate With Your Instructor

Every student hits plateaus in practice. Even if you’ve made great progress so far, hitting a plateau can be quite frustrating. Sometimes students say, “Not only am I not getting any better, I think I’m going backwards.” When you feel this way, stay with your practice and discuss your concerns with your instructor. A student/teacher relationship is based on honesty, open communication, and loyalty. Your instructor has your best interest in mind. He’s been through his own struggles, and understands where you are. With his help and your continuous effort, you will soon feel yourself making progress again. But remember, the goal is to love the practice and not just the progress.

Honor Your Practice and Yourself

Originally in the East, the student/teacher relationship was one of great reverence. Respect and loyalty for the teacher was vital and the students sometimes even feared the wrath of the instructor. In the West, people mistakenly equate a martial arts instructor to a coach, a personal trainer, or a cheerleader. While teachers should never be feared, great respect should always be present. This balance is not easy to achieve. Your teacher may seem quite approachable and friendly. Do not confuse his friendliness and approachability. He should not be your buddy. You can find friends everywhere, but finding a great instructor is difficult. If you step over the line and try to make him a friend, you will compromise your ability to be a great student, as well as his ability to teach you. By holding your teacher in high regard, you honor your practice and yourself.

The Teacher Looks For Effort…Not Skill

Students sometimes ask, “How can I become one of my instructor’s favorites?” There are no favorites. The instructor helps and guides everyone based on his or her level of understanding. If he did have favorites, the regularly attending hard working students would be his choice. The teacher is not looking for skill…he is looking for effort. Sometimes, effort manifests as initiative, desire, focus and intensity. At other times, effort might be patience, persistence and an open willingness to learn. Be like a sponge, absorbing as much as you possibly can.

The best advice to a new beginner: cultivate and develop a great relationship with your instructor, and only take private classes.

Story

A student who had not been practicing very long was warming up before class. A high-ranking black belt student approached the beginner and introduced himself, asking how his practice was going. This senior student possessed great skill and was known by all to be one of the best martial artists in the school. The beginner was excited to be speaking with him and took the opportunity to ask for advice.

“How did you get so good?” he asked.

The black belt student answered very seriously, “ I’ve practiced a long time, and I only take private classes-never group.”

The beginner thought, “Only private classes! That would be very expensive, but the price must be worth it. He is probably the best martial artist in the entire school.”

Before the beginner expressed his thought, the advanced student added, “No matter how many people are in the class, pretend that you and the instructor are alone in the room. Everything that he says, ‘Keep your hands up! Curl your toes back! Bend your knees!’ is intended for you. He is talking directly and specifically to you in each and every moment. Check and recheck yourself. From now on, only take private classes.” He bowed and walked away.

The best advice to a new beginner, “Cultivate and develop a great relationship with your instructor, and only take private classes.”

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News Update Monday 12th March

Mar 12
Posted by admin in Aikido, Aikido for young people, Community, news, Shudokan

Training Focus

The focus this week is curriculum practice, getting ready for grading next week.

Weapons

Friday; Bokken & Shinai

Saturday; Jo

Summer School

Summer School is once again on the horizon.  This never fails to be a fantastic event and the only way we can carry on running iot is if we can populate it. We are taking names now so please contact us to get your name down.

Whatever grade you are, Summer School will bring your Aikido on leaps and bounds. Not only is it a fantastic training opportunity but the social aspect is fantastic, meet other members of Shudokan from across the country, some even from abroad.

Once again, get in contact now to book your place.

Osu

Sensei Matt, Shudokan Black Belt Academy – Aikido Nottingham

 

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Bringing it All Home

Mar 07
Posted by admin in Aikido, Aikido for young people, Community, news, Shudokan

Testimonial from Parents of Jordan

A few days ago we received a card from one of our Cadets. Inside was one of the most touching and warming testimonials I, and indeed all of us, have ever read.

“No words can ever express how much we want to thank you all for what the club has done for our Jordan. He is a completely different and confident child to what he was when we brought him that very first evening and remember what Ken said to us what Aikido would do for him especially after the awful time he had at Redhill School, the terrible bullying he experienced and the physical pain he went through.

It was a very difficult decision to make for his own safety we took him out of school for 5 months while we battled so hard with the authorities to get him into another school.

Thankfully that is all behind Jordan now, he has completely fallen in love with Aikido, he never stops talking about it and showing us the moves at home, he puts his heart and soul into every training session and his one aim is to be a Black Belt. That is so very important to him.

He has made many friends at the club since he started, which we know has helped him immediately and to see such a change is all down to the hard work you and your team have put in with him, we will always be so very grateful.

Thank you all from Jordan’s Mum, Nan and Grandad.”

This is what it’s all about.

Osu,

Sensei Matt, Shudokan Black Belt Academy – Aikido Nottingham

 

 

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News Update Tuesday 6th March

Mar 06
Posted by admin in Aikido, Aikido for young people, Uncategorized

Training Focus

Monday: Hijiate

Tuesday: Shihonage/Tenchinage

Wednesday: Hijishimae

Thursday: Sokumen Iriminage

Friday: Shomen Iriminage & Jo

Saturday: Ikkajo & Bokken

Sport Relief Fundraiser

Saturday 17th March, 17:00

To raise money for Sport Relief we are asking our Juniors and Cadets to get sponsored to hit a target of 600 back drops. Please bring friends as the more bodies we have on the class, the less backdrops you will have to do!

Please pick up your sponsor form from the front desk.

Osu

Sensei Matt, Shudokan Black Belt Academy – Aikido Nottingham

 

 

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