Trouble at School

One of my younger students approached me after class the other day. He’s a good, but intense kid, and I could tell by the look on his face that something was troubling him. He approached quietly, and stood in front of me for a moment, trying to figure out what he wanted to say.

“Shevitz-sensei,” he said eventually, “What do you do when someone grabs your shoulders and won’t let go?”

I looked at him for a moment. We’ve covered this type of attack relatively often, but he’s young, and only been training for less than a year. At first, I was about to give him a list of different ways to move and respond–turn this way if he’s about to grab you, but hasn’t yet; step this way if he’s gotten a good grip on you. In fact, I was about to call over one of my students to demonstrate, when my brain finally kicked into gear. Instead of showing a few techniques, I looked at my student carefully and asked: “Why?”

He thought for a moment. “There’s a guy at school. He keeps grabbing me by my shoulders and bugging me. He won’t let go.”

“Okay,” I said. “That’s clearly unacceptable. It’s completely wrong of him to do that.” As I said this, my student visibly relaxed, and I suddenly realized that he was actually worried that, somehow, being bullied was his fault. “Who else have you told about this besides me?” I asked.

“Nobody. Not yet, anyway.”

I nodded. “Well, the first thing we need to do is talk with your parents. They’ll want to know about this, and they’ll want to help. We need to give them the chance to do that. They might also talk to your school–they should know too. After all, this kid might be picking on others besides you.” I could tell that, while he understood my answers, my student was a little disappointed; clearly he wanted to take care of this issue himself, and he wanted to use technique to do it. “Listen,” I continued. “We could talk about all sorts of techniques that you could use to get this guy to back off. But what happens next? If you get into a fight, you’ll both be in trouble. Let’s give your folks a chance to deal with this; in the meantime, if he comes after you again, stay relaxed. Focus on moving around him–not fighting him. Turn out of the way. Use your entering footwork. If that’s not enough, we can talk about other things.”

We went over to his dad, who was waiting by the door. I hung around while my student got the conversation started. As they left, still talking, the dad looked over at me. “Thanks,” he said. I felt, and still feel, that I handled the situation appropriately.

When a student steps on the mat, I want them to learn about self-defense. Aikido is a martial art, after all. If we don’t focus on the self-defense component, then what are we doing? But, just as important as knowing how to apply self-defense techniques is knowing when to apply those techniques. I admit it: I really wanted to show my student that there were lots of techniques he could do–techniques he already knew–to deal with this bully. And yet… I knew that if I focused just on that, he’d end up getting in a fight and getting into trouble. Was that really the result I wanted? The answer is: no. I want all of my students to have confidence and feel safe. But I also want them to know that applying technique is a last resort–that other options need to be considered first. Technique alone, at best, provides a victory of the moment. Regretfully, often that’s exactly what we need. But true victory has to move beyond the immediate conflict, to identifying the cause of the issue and negating it at the source. This is a harder solution, but a far more lasting one as well.

Driving With Sensei

In my last post, I wrote about the success of our recent international convention. If you read that entry, you can probably tell that the experience was profoundly moving for me. I’d like to take a moment to focus on a single aspect of the event that, while seemingly mundane, I found to be quite interesting.

Often, when Sensei comes to a particular event, whoever is hosting that event becomes Sensei’s driver. This isn’t always the case, but it’s true in most instances. And this makes sense: the host typically is the one who knows where Sensei needs to be, understands how to get there, and can make last minute changes at Sensei’s request with the least amount of difficulty. At first, I thought that driving Sensei around would be, to be honest, relatively uninteresting. I’ve found that this isn’t the case–often, these car trips provided some real learning opportunities.

First, there’s the realization that you’re in a car with a martial artist of the highest caliber. I know many of you who read this blog have attended a variety of seminars and such, but I don’t know how many of you got the chance to be with the instructor of that seminar during “down time.” For me, it was very illuminating to be with Sensei in a setting that was off the mat. I admit it: at first it felt a bit like when you were in school, and you suddenly saw your teacher at the grocery store. Somehow, during the school year, you never really thought about your teacher as a person, who had to go shopping like everyone else. The experience was similar with Sensei: I got the opportunity to see that, as well-versed and proficient in aikido as he is, he is also a person. As the convention progressed, I began to be a bit more at ease at the notion that Sensei is a multi-faceted individual, and the fact that he was no longer a one-dimensional figure drove home the point that he is very serious when he says: “If I can do it, you can do it.”

Second, these car trips provide an opportunity to learn what Sensei is enjoying about the event, and what he would like to change. Given some of my past experiences with other instructors, I was very nervous about what might happen if Sensei didn’t like something. It turns out I needn’t have worried. Sensei was extremely gracious about anything that wasn’t to his liking. The key phrases I listened for were: “Dave-san, I’m not complaining, but…” or “No problem, Dave-san, but next time…” At those moments, he would express clearly what he’d like, and often it was a very reasonable and simple request. I honestly thought I would have to read between the lines to understand what Sensei wanted–this is not the case. He is clear, direct, and understanding.

A third aspect of these car rides that I found illuminating was that it gave me a chance to listen to Sensei about what he was thinking. While he didn’t discuss these things in great detail, I occasionally got glimpses as to what ideas he was trying to express on the mat and why he was trying to express them. In a way, it felt like being in a “Making of…” featurette that they add to DVD movies. I was able to get a small idea of what he was thinking about before he started to teach. Sensei also used the opportunities to tell me more about what he’d like to see done in the area as far as training, opening dojos, and so forth.

Driving around with Sensei was definitely not a moment to slack off–but I found it very interesting that it was not nearly as stressful as other, somewhat similar, experiences have been like. And I definitely recognize that its an experience that few people get in any martial art–the opportunity for some quiet downtime with the founder of your style of self-defense.

(Okay, I can’t help but add this in: one moment during the convention, I drove Sensei to the location. There was a parking spot right in front of the entrance. “Perfect!” I thought. I pulled in, and suddenly heard from one of the other passengers in the car. “Dave-san! Sensei can’t get out!” It turns out that, in my eagerness to get the perfect parking spot, I didn’t notice the fact that I had pulled too close to the car in the adjacent spot. Horrified, I looked at Sensei, who said simply: “Dave-san! I’m skinny, but not THAT skinny!” As the other passengers chuckled, I pulled out of the parking spot, dropped Sensei off, and found a different spot elsewhere. My face was red for about an hour, I think!)

Aikido Kokikai Internation Convention in Seattle

I am standing in the middle of the airport. I am surrounded by the dull roar of travelers; people waiting to get through security, giving their last good byes to friends and families, talking on cell phones, ordering coffee. Across the way, one of the most amazing individuals I have ever met has just made it through security. Flanked by two of his trusted students, he turns back towards the terminal and, despite all of the people, spots me. He gives a wave of his hand, then turns and heads towards his plane.

Sensei is on his way home.

To say that the Aikido Kokikai International Convention in Seattle was an amazing experience would be an understatement in the truest sense of the word. Hundreds of students came from all over the world to see Sensei, making this the largest Kokikai event ever to take place in Seattle by a wide margin. The mat was filled with people–in fact, we very nearly exceeded the maximum capacity for the gymnasium, so we will likely have to find a larger space for next time. Some of Sensei’s most senior students, many of whom have either never been to Seattle or had not been in Seattle for many years, came to Seattle to see Sensei and train. The result was a room filled with a tremendous amount of experience, expertise, and enthusiasm for Sensei’s Kokikai Aikido.

And, of course, I can’t talk about the event without talking about Sensei himself. Each time I see him, I am more impressed at his technique, his poise, his demeanor. Every now and then, you find someone so beyond what you think is achievable that the term “master” becomes the only title that seems appropriate. Sensei certainly is a master of aikido; there simply aren’t words that can describe the power, grace, and beauty that are infused within his technique. And yet, Sensei goes beyond even this category, for while there are many masters, there are few who could also be called master teachers as well. I am always amazed at how Sensei balances the power of his technique with the approachability of his methodology. For example, there were many, many new students on the mat who had never met Sensei before. Each one of them came away from the convention with a profound respect for Sensei and for his technique; but they also felt inspired that, one day, they too could do what he demonstrated for us today. There are many who teach aikido who claim to be masters, but their abilities are not reflected in their students, and it becomes doubtful that these teachers are truly passing on what they know. This is not the case with Sensei. While no one could ever surpass Sensei–after all, he is still growing and learning even after so many years–it was clear to see this weekend that there were many who were on the same path, that Sensei’s knowledge was, indeed, being passed on to others. This, in my mind, marks the greatest difference between proficiency and mastery.

But the convention showed that Kokikai was more than just Sensei, as important and astounding as he is. Kokikai is a community that stretches across the world. I was overwhelmed at the sense of community that permeated the weekend’s events. People who had not seen each other in years re-connected seamlessly; people who had never met became friends quickly and easily. The importance of this community cannot be understated. Sensei consistently drives home the point that we must help each other to learn and grow. That we are more than just training partners, more than just students. We are a family. There were many new friendships that I forged over the weekend–friendships that came easily, friendships that will last a lifetime. I was and am still humbled to be a part of something so spectacular.

I realize that I have yet to write about the actual contents of Sensei’s classes; the leaps forward in the proficiency and effectiveness of his techniques, the brilliance of his ideas. Those can wait for a while as they slowly seep into my mind and body. But for now, I am happy just to think of this weekend, and recall Sensei as the true inspiration that he is, and to appreciate Kokikai as the strong, encompassing community of which I am honored to be a member.

Underestimation

Well, I certainly underestimated this month.

Actually, that’s not exactly true. I had every intention, when this month started, to comply with the challenge to write a post a day on this blog. I have several topics already outlined that I would very much like to write about, and plan to. But not on a timetable. Not this month, anyway. There are a few major events going on that are simply making this blog take a backseat–if only temporarily.

The biggest event at the moment is the upcoming Aikido Kokikai International Convention, which is this weekend. When I first started planning this event, Sensei told me that he wanted it big, and was going to let other students know this as well. I must admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Most Kokikai dojos are in the Northeast, and I can speak from firsthand experience that it is a challenge to fly across the country for such events–especially if such travels are coming close to the holidays, when travels to seeing family take precedence. So I thought perhaps that we would plan for a medium-sized event, have a few precautions in place for a large event, and not be disappointed if it was small event.

Well, it’s a good thing we have precautions in place, because this event is shaping up to becoming one of the largest Kokikai events ever held in the Northwest. People from all over the country and Japan have already registered, and I think it is easily topping the previous event held here in Seattle. Everyone is tremendously excited–not just to see Sensei, but to be in the Northwest. For many, this is their first visit here, and it is my goal, and the goal all of the Kokikai practitioners here in the Northwest, to make it such a positive experience that folks from the East Coast won’t hesitate to want to come again the next time around.

Many of the topics I had planned to write about focused on the preparations for this event. I don’t know about you, but not many of us have had the opportunity to host an international convention such as this. Usually, we’re the lucky recipients of these events. We go, we train, we learn, and someone else handles the details. So I plan to write a bit about the different aspects of planning this event just to (a) provide a record so I can best remember how this all came about, and (b) provide a glimpse of the work involved for those who might want to host a similar event in the future.

One thing I would like to write about at the moment is ZebraMats. Many of us who are in the “throwing” or “grappling” arts (to provide a label that is, at best, inaccurate) train on these mats or something similar. We use a series of these mats at our own dojo. They’re excellent to train on, and withstand a great deal of abuse. We still have mats in use at our dojo that we had at our old location–which we got about 5 years ago!

When I found out that we were hosting the convention, my biggest concern was the training area. No one around here has a stack of mats just sitting in a warehouse waiting for someone to host a convention. We could have purchased mats, but that would have been a tremendous expense. Fortunately, the folks at ZebraMats are supportive of the martial arts, and graciously allowed us to rent three pallets of these mats for use for the event. (In fact, if you’re in the Northwest area, and need a few mats, contact ZebraMats right away–they’re selling the mats we’re renting at a pretty good discount.) I’m really glad we get to use the ZebraMats; they’re really easy to set up, they grip slick surfaces like gym floors really well so they don’t slide around, and they can take a lot of abuse! I’ve mentioned to many folks that we’ll have these mats at the event, and everyone is very excited. So I suppose this paragraph is my way of saying “Thanks” to ZebraMats, and encouraging any of you out there who need mats for your own training area to seriously consider ZebraMats as an option.

Okay–there’s more to do. I’ll post when I can! Hope I haven’t disappointed anyone too much–but this is how life gets! There’s another major life event going on as well, which I’ll write about later. You’ll just have to live with the suspense…although some of you know the news already.

10 days and counting…

In 10 days, it begins….

The Aikido Kokikai International Convention in Seattle.

To say this is a huge event would be an understatement. There are so many people coming, from all over the nation and from Japan, to join Sensei here in Seattle to study aikido. It’s been a real honor to host this event, and I, along with a lot of other folks, have worked diligently to make this event be a success.

Unfortunately, it means that I chose to participate in this post-every-day-for-a-month challenge at a terrible time! Usually, when I write these posts, I spend a few days mulling things over, thinking about what I want to say. This week, I’ve had to just write–and to heck with the consequences! As a result, I’m sure the quantity of these posts has increased, but I’m not sure about the quality.

But I’m still game! I’ll do my best to write about the convention as it happens, and try to talk about some of the preparations we’re going through to make things a success. Meanwhile, I’m curious as to how many of folks have participated or hosted a large-scale event. What did you do to make it a success? What was it like? Perhaps we can all commiserate together.

Yoga

At our dojo, we are fortunate to have a very talented and very patient yoga instructor. She comes into the dojo on Saturdays and Sundays and teaches for about an hour. Some of her students also study aikido; most, however, come in strictly for yoga.

On Sunday mornings, when I can convince myself that it’s okay to get up early every day of the week, I become one of her students. I have found that yoga is a very interesting movement system when you compare it to daily martial arts training. In aikido specifically, there is often so much movement involved, and so much interaction with another person, that to study something that is relatively solitary and still can force you to view your current capabilities in a new light. I, for one, have found many poses that I thought would be challenged instead were very easy to hold and maintain. On the flip side, I have also found that sometimes a pose that I would have thought was easy turns out to be much harder than I thought. When I experience those moments, I can’t help but think through what ramifications it has on my technique. For example, struggling to do pose X might explain why I have trouble with technique Y. It’s also nice to simply have a different way of challenging oneself.

Just like weapons can occasionally provide an alternate perspective on movement and timing, yoga or some other sport or activity seems to have the same effect in regards to balance and posture. I find the class challenging and fun at the same time–and it’s certainly a joy to be a true beginner in my own dojo!

Blending in Real Life

Today, my daughter and I went to a birthday party for one of her friends. It was at one of those places where they have an entire room filled with inflatable play structures. We had a blast! We bounced, we fell, we laughed. I found that keeping your center while you and a bunch of little kids are careening about on an inflatable slide is very challenging, but very fun.

When the time came to go home, there were several helium balloons. Of course all the kids crowded around them, hoping to take one home. (Fortunately, there were plenty for everyone.) My daughter, stood in the crowd, asking: “I want a purple one! I want a purple one!” When her turn came, a balloon was handed to her–a bright yellow balloon. I cringed inwardly for a minute, thinking she was going to get upset that it was not the color she had asked for. Instead, she surprised me–she ran up to me and, with a huge grin, said: “Look Dad! I got a YELLOW one!”

I thought that many of us, in an equivalent (if not necessarily balloon-related) situation, would have been quite irate. The fact that she blended with the situation so effortlessly was wonderful, and I told her so. She looked at me, with an expression of “Well, of course! How would YOU handle it?”

As we headed out, there were a few balloons left, including one solitary purple one. “Excuse me,” she said to the host, “could I have the purple one instead?”

At four-and-a-half, my little girl just demonstrated to me that if you roll with what life gives you, you’ll sometimes get what you want in the end–and you’ll certainly be much happier in the meanwhile.

Weapons, Part II: A Clarification

Okay, I’m cheating here. Yesterday, after writing my entry on weapons practice, BlackBeltMama, wrote a comment about the weapons she studies in her own martial arts practice. Normally, I’d just respond to her comment with a comment of my own; however, I made this commitment to writing a post every day for the next month, so I’m going to respond instead with a new post. Maybe that’s not really cheating, but anyway…

BBM points out that she studies a variety of weapons types–some of them easier to carry around than others. I neglected, yesterday, to point out that, in Aikido, we study the tanto, the bokken, and the jo. That’s it. So my perspective on weapons is a little bit skewed by just considering those particular tools. Clearly, there are some weapons that are far more adaptable to today’s world, and I have no problem with anyone who wishes to study them. BBM also goes on to talk about how useful a staff could actually be in a conflict, given how you can certainly make them readily acceptable. And to that I must also agree: I used to keep a jo staff under our bed for just that reason.

Perhaps my biggest issue with weapons, then, stems from the integration of the bokken or sword within aikido practice in particular. There are those whom I have met who have emphasized the study of the bokken within aikido to such an extent that it truly does baffle me. My biggest concern is that aikido requires a very careful study of timing and proximity, of understanding how to support and control someone else’s balance and posture. Bokken and sword work are useful tools for studying timing, and perhaps a little useful in terms of looking at proximity, but it is not the same as actually being in close contact with your opponent, subtly shifting their balance, feeling the flow of their attack and the confines of their structure so that you can find the weak point. To study the bokken in context is to study calmness and committment. To study it to the near-exclusion of other aspects of aikido is, well, questionable. I suppose it would be akin to studying judo without regards to pins, or escrima without ever picking up some sticks.

(Okay! I said I would write every day for a month. I never said I would write well. Perhaps, after this month is over, folks will understand why there are times when weeks go by between my posts… ha.) 

Weapons

One of the interesting side effects of martial arts training is a surprising interest in weapons work. I say “surprising” because, if you were to ask most people why they study a martial art to begin with, the first thing they are likely to tell you is that they want to learn self defense. Why then, are they focused on weapons? Time and time again, I field phone calls and questions from prospective students who want to know about studying the bokken or the jo. And while our space allows us the opportunity to study these tools as often as we wish (you have to love 22′ ceilings), I’m still left wondering why folks are so interested in this subject matter to begin with.

After all, it isn’t like we carry around a bokken or a jo on a regular basis. (For those of you who study arts that use other weapons, do you carry them about in your backpack on a regular basis?) We often state that, for example, a broom or a pool stick could be used in lieu of a jo, but have you ever actually tried this? I have–for reasons I’ll not delve into here–and I’d like to say that a pool stick is most definitely NOT a jo staff. In addition, there are more powerful, more effective, and just down right EASIER weapons to study if you are interested in these matters. I’m reminded of a joke that Sensei likes to make about studying the sword: he’ll ask someone to pretend like they’re drawing the blade out of the saya. As they do so, he’ll mock-draw a gun from his hip and say: “BANG!” Then he laughs. It’s a joke, but the meaning is pretty clear: if you want to learn how to use a weapon, odds are a gun is going to be more applicable and effective that a stick.

To be fair, I actually DO like studying weapons. But my enjoyment comes from the context of my overall aikido studies. And it also stems from a certain appreciation of the historical significance of the tool. And that’s just it: studying with a bokken or a jo is a historical exercise, akin to learning how to sail a tall ship or civil war re-enactments. It may be interesting, it may be challenging, it may give you a sense of deep satisfaction, but it is not self-defense, and it leaves you steeped in the past. And, in my opinion, a firm and constant focus on the present is critical to any real self-defense study.

I do not write this to mock those who study weapons. I find them beautiful, fascinating, and challenging. But I also strongly feel that studying weapons is but a tiny part of real self-defense and modern martial arts. Study them too much, and you risk spending all your time looking backwards.

Note: I’ve been invited to participate in National Blog Posting Month, which means that I’ve got to post every day for the month of November. As a result, I apologize if some of these entries seem short, random, or just plain not as well-thought-out as usual! If you’re interested in more information on National Blog Posting Month, check out:  http://nablopomo.ning.com/.