More good advice

This really transcends arts and is great advice in general from a great author and karateka, Mike Clarke:

Morality ... its important!

One particular item that struck me is "Be hard on yourself and easy on others."  As I find myself too quick to judge, this is advice that strikes deep.

Martial arts are about facing yourself, finding out what you don't like about yourself, and striving to change it.

As always, the way is in the training...

Effective Practice and Question to others

Just a great post which I think any martial artist would find helpful.  It is all about teaching and training in a consistent manner to achieve the results you want:

12 Suggestions for Effective Practice

I have mentioned this before, but Ryan Parker's blog is one of the best resources for understanding close combat methods of Okinawa, and it seems this is often related to a lot of Asian martial arts.

I hope to be posting more in the future, as I have been doing a lot of reading, thinking, watching and training.

As an aside, does anyone have similar symptoms to the following:

I feel like I have too much energy.  It almost feels pent up, not frustrating but like I need to spend quality time with my missus, if get my drift.  I am almost shaking.  Training does not seem to be an outlet.  I don't believe in chi, but if I did I would say that something is overloading me from that perspective.  If anyone has any ideas what this feeling is, comes from, or how to deal with it, I would appreciate it.  It is hard to type this, as I am all but shaking.  I have only had this feeling a few times in the past.

As always, the way is in the training!

More karate or martial art phrases

Here are a few more phrases that may be of interest.  I find a great deal of knowledge in the simplicity of short phrases of wisdom.  The brevity adds a measure of abstraction that requires more thought and diving deep into ones experience.

Collection of the karate proverbs written in the Yojijukugo 四字熟語 (four characters) style:1. On Ko Chi Shin 温古知新 - ask old to understand a new2. Hatsuun Jindō 抜雲尋道 - parting the clouds and find the way3. Bun Bu Ryō Dō 文武両道 - literary and martial arts as one4. Kō Un Ryū Sui 行雲流水 - floating clouds, flowing water5. Kisshu Fushin 鬼手佛心 - a demon's hand, a saint's heart6. Seki Ma No Sei 石磨之勢 - the incentive to polish stones 7. Nai Gō Gai Jū 内剛外柔 - hard on the inside and gently outside

I wish I could lay claim to collecting these, but again others have done the hard work.

The way is in training...

What is important in your art

Again I must link to my betters:

Yo No Bi

The idea here is that we practice martial arts, not martial sports or martial techniques.  Without a sense of beauty, elegance and efficiency then why do we not just focus on brute force and outright death?

Fantastic thoughts abound with this concept.

The way is in training, as always...

Inspirational Phrases

It has been a long time since I posted anything.  I just haven't felt the urge, nor do I think that anything I have to say will add to that already out there, or better yet that discovered through training.  If you seek wiser words, please do visit some of the blogs I have mentioned in past articles.

Anyways, here are some interesting phrases and sayings that are relate to karate or martial arts in general.  I found this list on the Shinsokai website.  I hope that people will visit the original to see the full information, but I think just seeing the phrases and trying to understand it from your own context is also informative.

Wisdom from the Past

Here are some of the ones I find the most interesting, applicable and immediate relevant to my own attitudes and training.

• Bunbu ryudo
• The twofold path of martial and literary arts
• Onko chisin
• Study the old to understand the new
• Shin gi tai
• Character, technique, body

To wander again, I have been reading Mike Clarke's book Shin Gi Tai, and I have been thinking a lot about the training I do, and the mentality I have about it.  It really forces one to shine a light on the dark parts of one's thoughts, and seek a path through it instead of around it.  This is the toughness of spirit that I wish to instill in myself.  I highly recommend the book for those interested in traditional mindset of the martial arts.

As always, friends, the way is in the training.