Karate Talk

Self-Defense

Many people mistakenly believe that any martial artist can defeat any attacker (or any number of attackers!). There is also the misconception that a few basic karate moves, a couple hours of training, and you're set.

While it's true that we do teach self-defense as part of karate, the reality is that it takes a great deal of training, experience, and presence of mind to defend yourself in the "real world" when you are taken by surprise, particularly if the attacker is bigger, stronger, and meaner than you are.

However, there are some easy self-defense tips that I can pass on, based not only on karate but also on a self-defense workshop I attended, along with a number of other informative and wise sources. Most of what is stated here requires no great strength, no special training, and no extra time. Just apply a little common sense and keep your eyes open. The basic idea is that the best form of self-defense is to avoid being attacked in the first place. AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION SAVES A POUND OF REGRET.

PRACTICAL SELF-DEFENSE FOR EVERY DAY

1. Be aware. Sometimes easier said than done. When you're tired, sick, stressed or preoccupied, you miss important clues. Keep your eyes open as you walk down the streets, take in your surroundings and pay attention to the people around you. Many times, a potential mugger or pickpocket will turn their attention elsewhere. The last thing they want is to be noticed.

2. Keep in sight. Again, most attackers do not wish to be noticed. Stay in well-lit areas, park your car under (or as close as possible to) a street light, leave your porch light on if you will be out after dark. Don't walk down a poorly lit sidewalk at night with a wall of cars on one side and a wall of bushes on the other; opt instead for walking on the street, away from the cars. Don't park your compact car between a big van on one side and an SUV on the other side.

3. Don't look like a victim. Walk upright, show some confidence. Don't look timid, do look around you.

4. Don't wear a ponytail. This just gives someone attacking from behind something to hold onto, as well as a great way to snap you off balance and shake you up, so that you can't react in time.

5. Be prepared. Don't stand next to your locked car fumbling through your purse for your keys. Have your keys out and ready, get in the car quickly and lock the doors as soon as you are in.

6. Take basic precautions. Take a look into the backseat of your car before you get in to make sure no one is hiding in there. Do a quick check through your house when you first get home, to make sure everything is as it should be. Check your doors and windows before you leave, and make sure they're closed and locked. Don't sleep with your windows open unless they have a locking mechanism that keeps them at a crack.

Okay, so you've done everything you should, but someone jumps you anyway. Or maybe you haven't done everything you should. Does this mean you're out of luck? No way!

7. Think low. For most people, your lower body is much stronger than your upper body. If you are in danger of being overpowered, duck and roll! Onto your back, that is. Use your feet to get your attacker in their knees, solar plexus, or even neck, as they lean over to get at you. Aim for any body part that you know hurts: Eyes, nose, throat, solar plexus, knee joints, groin. Don't be nice, kick with all your strength. Use the ground to brace you for even greater power.

8. Get attention. Don't believe anyone who says they won't hurt you if you keep quiet. Make noise! Don't let them get you out of sight, or into that car; you're totally powerless at that point. Fight back, yell, kick, scream. And when you yell, yell "FIRE". It's a sad but true fact that most people in our society don't want to get involved, and will dodge away from anyone yelling "help". If you yell "fire", everyone stops in their tracks to look.

I have several years of martial arts training. I have trained in and even demonstrated self-defense, on more than one occasion. I have taken a self-defense workshop, watched self-defense programs on TV, and avidly read articles that added to my store of knowledge. Today, walking to my car after work, I was struck by how dark and creepy it was at the construction site near my workplace. I started thinking about the basic principles of self-defense, and made it a point to walk out a bit from the stairwells, the trees, the cars... and almost jumped out of my skin when someone spoke just beside me. I hadn't even seen them, so preoccupied and tired was I.

Never underestimate your own vulnerability. Don't go through life scared, do go through life aware.

Why is etiquette so important in karate?

There are simple reasons, and more complex reasons, why etiquette is still strictly enforced in traditional karate dojos. Since I keep getting asked about it, I thought I'd summarize the major reasons why, in my experience, etiquette is so important in the martial arts.

1. SAFETY. I can't overstate this. So much of etiquette revolves around providing a safe and challenging training atmosphere. Don't talk while Sensei is talking, or you might miss something crucial, which could lead to injury. Respect Sensei, and do as he says, even if you don't always understand why; the traditions of the dojo go back generations, and those that still exist have very sound reasons for their relevance. Respect your fellow karate-ka, because that way you can challenge each other without injury, humiliation or other problems caused by a lack of self-control. If you don't respect them, they won't respect you, and things can get ugly very quickly.

2. BETTER TRAINING. You get the most out of your training sessions when you are able to fully focus on your training, and to focus on the aspects that Sensei is trying to emphasize. This means you need to be able to hear him, you need to be able to do sparring drills and combinations as instructed. This is impossible when others are talking or others are screwing off, doing their own thing.

3. SELF CONTROL. Remember that in dojo, we learn fighting arts. The purpose is not to create thugs, who try to dominate and belittle others, and are physically dangerous. The purpose is to build your own strength, mental and emotional and physical. The true martial artist tries to avoid the fight, not instigate it. In some cultures, the greatest man is the one who never needs to fight.

4. COURTESY. All of the above also relate to courtesy. Even as you wish to get the best training possible, so does everyone else in the dojo. Don't ruin it for them by talking out of turn, constantly interrupting Sensei, etc. If you have questions, ask politely, or defer it for after class. Every interruption you make, you are depriving someone else of valuable training time.

5. TRADITION. This is where the Eastern martial art seems to clash hardest with the Western mind. Many Westerners aren't raised to respect tradition simply because it's tradition, and in fact many of us are raised to openly question or challenge many traditions. However, sometimes you lose out on a lot by so doing. Tradition has its own kind of beauty, a way of looking at things through older eyes, different eyes than your own. Following a ritual created 100 years ago not only shows respect for the creator, but ties you to him on some levels. Traditions transcend the boundaries of time, and the physical act of bowing, reciting the dojo kun, etc., allows you to experience things you otherwise never touch. Never underestimate the value of that kind of perspective.

Instructing: Theory and Practice

Participating in the Instructor Training program gives me the strange feeling of looking at karate from the inside out. I read things, I hear things, I see things, suddenly from the other side. Instead of waiting for feedback from my instructor, I am being asked to watch, analyze, comment. Instead of responding automatically to Sensei's count and rhythm, I am learning that we count that way for a reason. I am re-learning my katas, what to look for and why. It all makes great sense to me. So much sense, I feel like I already knew a lot of it, without really realizing I knew it. Or if I didn't, I have to wonder why not.

That's the point of doing Instructor Training in the first place, I guess, and that's the reason for the minimum dan rank and age requirements. I couldn't be doing this program until recently; my technique and understanding are really just beginning to grow up. I couldn't be doing this program as a high school student, intelligent, hard-working, and a relatively good kid, but a far cry from the more-disciplined adult I became.

There are immediate benefits of a personal nature. I leave any Training session with my head full of ideas, always at least one light bulb going off that has made me think of my own technique in a new way, and eager to give it a try. That this will improve my karate on a personal level is indisputable. I also learn valuable things to try with the class that I assist in teaching, things that make me feel more confident in my abilities, things that remind me of how Sensei teaches, and make me feel that I am heading in the right tradition. Since I don't have much experience with kids and no teaching experience outside of assisting with class, this is also an indisputable good for me.

However, the point of Instructor Training is not, and never was, me. Our first day, the first thing that Sensei told us was that the point of Instructor Training is not to become a strong person -- it's to MAKE a strong person. You are learning how to best help someone else to learn and grow, and it's so much more than technique. There are so many subtleties, and everything that happens in the dojo during class has been thought out, analyzed, questioned, and refined. It doesn't happen by chance, and it all combines for the greater good. My instruction throughout my training has been touched by the invisible hands of the masters who came before.

Today we reviewed the lessons of the year, and got a few added details here and there. Along with the value of reinforcing this new knowledge, I also realized that I have in fact become part of the bigger whole. The disparate group of trainees who started the year is almost entirely intact, and early discomfort, embarrassment and intimidation have given way to an easy camaraderie. We're all in this together. We laugh with each other, not at each other. Our class has jelled into its own distinct unit, and we understand one another better now, and respect each other more also. And we like each other.

After class, Sensei treated us to lunch. We sat talking about karate, and talking about everything but karate, a wonderful hour that would have been impossible this time last year. And I think, yes, this too is necessary. Instructors are alone, we have been told. You must be cautious about how friendly you are with the students, and not let it affect the teacher/student relationship. It can be a great pressure. But now we are not alone. Now, we are 12 people who are going through this together, working together. We can sit apart from the students, but still be with friends.

Just when I think I am beginning to understand this martial art of mine, I find new dimensions to surprise, challenge, and reward me beyond measure.

Testing Etiquette

We had a kyu test last night, and although it went well, it raised a few issues which have come up in the past. Issues relating to etiquette, on the part of the students, the senior students, and the instructor.

Everyone was in the dojo more or less at the appointed time, which was good. That gives them the chance to sign in, pay, and do their warmups. A senior student led warmups, after which those testing just kind of milled around. That was not good. I had to go over and tell them to go through their katas, or basics, or something; keep the muscles warmed up, keep the minds focused. Show good spirit.

One person did not show. He had called Sensei to say he would not be there, which was good. He also has not tested in over a year, and has said that he doesn't feel ready. That is not good. He's perfectly well prepared for the rank he would test for, and has been training regularly.  He's just really nervous and self-critical.  Shotokan is not about finding a comfort zone and staying there, it is about trying to reach your personal best, through endeavor and being faithful. His fear of testing is a character weakness that he needs to get past, even as I continue to compete despite my severe dislike of it and my generally poor performances.

Everyone gave solid performances in terms of kata, basics, and sparring, although some of course have things to work on.

The senior students, sitting up front to observe, were all there except for one who had a prior commitment. That was good. The behavior in parts of the test was not good, not by any means. We were called out, one at a time, to provide sparring partners for various people testing. This went okay for the most part, but when it came to semi-free (jyu ippon kumite), things were bad. The first black belt hadn't bothered to warm up or stretch, so he was stiff, and wasn't doing proper shifting or blocking on half the techniques. This gave the brown belt a poor partner and a poor opportunity to show what he could do, and gave a poor demonstration of semi-free to the lower rank belts watching.

The second jyu ippon match was worse, and I am so displeased with it as to be still struggling to express it, and figure out what happened. The black belt in question behaved so poorly on so many levels, that it was very distressing. As defender, he countered with full contact 3 out of 5 times, despite getting a contact warning the first time and being told not to nail the brown belt so hard. As attacker, he failed to announce any of his techniques, and literally chased the brown belt halfway around the dojo, ultimately attacking him in such a position that the brown belt, in order to shift for block and counter, ended up going through the line of karate-kas outside the ring area, causing them to scramble for safety. The black belt in question is a Nidan going for Sandan in a few months, he very definitely knows better.  Yet he did not demonstrate good jyu ippon kumite, nor did he show proper respect to his sparring partner. It looked like a personal grudge match, more than anything else. 

ETIQUETTE COUNTS. The rules are there for a reason. Show up on time, prepare properly, try to push yourself beyond your limits. And perform the appointed tasks properly. Each time you do, you are training yourself for your greater karate strength.

Training Uphill

December came to town, and my good training diet went on vacation! Cookies, candies, everywhere you look! Gift baskets coming in to work! Nuts and crackers and cheese spread, oh my!

Yeah, I was bad yesterday. Munched on gift basket goodies, then we took a couple of co-workers to lunch (birthdays) and ate more food and heavier than I am used to, then had a chocolate-filled afternoon. By the end of the day I was totally wiped out, physically and mentally, and came within a snail's whisker of skipping training in favor of sitting at home drinking egg nog and wrapping Christmas presents.

I'm not really sure what overcame that urge, in the end. A discussion with a karate-ka about how unmotivated I was, and whether or not I should stay home, brought latent feelings to the surface and allowed me to verbalize what I was feeling. On the one hand, I was tired, I knew I hadn't eaten very well which meant that my body probably wouldn't be performing at its best, and I've been really frustrated and edgy the past few days, which doesn't help either. Sometimes, in those circumstances, a night off is your best friend. Counter to that, though, was the knowledge that I'd missed Monday's class, that I'm trying to train really consistently no matter what, and that sometimes the best cure for general narkiness is getting off your butt and pushing through it.

I made it to the dojo in a not-great mood, and more or less pouted my way through the first half of class. I did push myself though, at least I can say that. And by halfway through class, I suddenly realized I was doing okay. In fact, not doing too badly at all.

Today I'm tired and SORE. But I'd feel a whole lot worse if I hadn't gone to training. Even when it's uphill, it's so worth it.

Discouragement

It's been a bad karate day for me. One of those days where you review your progress and find it wanting. I'm wrestling with stance problems and some connection issues I don't think I should be having. A discussion with another karateka touched on many of these things, but he was preoccupied with his own progress and goals, and did not give the encouragement I really could have used. I ended the conversation even more depressed about the state of my karate. These are the days when it is so important for me to train. I needed to go to training, push myself hard, sweat and get out of breath and exhaust my muscles, so I could know that I really am working hard to improve. I needed to work on the things I feel are lacking, work hard on them. I ate junky food today, it's sitting heavy and I need to work that out of my system too.

A winter storm hit our area this morning, roads are slushy and sloppy and nasty. People are driving either way too fast, or way too slow. Normally a 10-minute drive, it took me 20 minutes to get to our regular training facility -- and no one was there. This can be due to one of several things: 1) Training was cancelled due to the weather (highly unlikely and I should have been called if so); 2) Training was moved to our normal alternate facility; or 3) Training was moved to another facility. We use public buildings, we bounce around alot in holiday months like December. If I'd trained last Wednesday, I would have known, but I missed last Wednesday because my foot was too sore to train on that day.

I drove to the first alternate facility, since it was close by and I know where it is. No one is there. By now, class is starting, if it's starting at all. I went inside and used a public phone to call a buddy from class, to ask if he knew what was up... no answer. I've never been to the other alternate facility, not a clue how to get there or how far away it is. I look up it up in the phone book, find the map, and it's not too far away so I decide to give it a shot. Thanks to the driving conditions, by the time I get there, I am 20 minutes late for class. I see Sensei's car and know I'm in the right place, but my foot is not taped up, I am not warmed up, and by the time I am, I will have missed half of class, not to mention being so late in the first place.

I turn around and head for home. By the time I get there, thanks to the bad drivers, it's so late that I really don't have time to do much more than stretch out then get ready for bed, because I have to be up early tomorrow. On a day when I desperately needed to exhaust myself with karate, instead I am getting absolutely nothing but half-hearted comforting words.

I'm a pretty discouraged karate-ka this evening.

Training vs. Slacking

Another Saturday morning, and this one hurt. The alarm went off way too early. It was cold and dark and all I wanted to do was stay snuggled where it was warm and cozy. But I finally got up (half an hour after I should have) and headed for class.

A lot of people didn't show up today that normally do, a couple people showed up that normally don't. We did warmups, basics drills, sparring drills. Sensei wanted us to work on an advanced kata, and half the class didn't know it, so he placed black belts around them so we could demonstrate. By now I was at least moving a little more freely (I got to lead warmups so I made darn sure we got a good stretch!), and I know that my job in these circumstances is to make sure that my technique and foundation are as good as I can get them, because I am demonstrating proper technique. I made sure my stances were deep and correct, I made sure my knees were out when they should be out, in when they should be in. My draw arm was pulled back and tight, shoulders down, tummy tucked in, chin up. By the last couple of times through the kata, the beginners were starting to show up, so I had to be that much more correct, since they were watching their teachers closely. I finished up my training hour with tired legs and arms, and a good sweat.

Then I led the beginner class warmups and we separated into groups for training. Most of the people who are normally there to help did not show, so instead of our usually 6 or 7 assistants, Sensei had only two of us. We had tournament and "testing" last month, so this month starts a new cycle, and I was teaching my kids new things. One of them speaks very little English so I rely on my conversational Spanish and a whole lot of demonstrating, so I got a full second training. By the end of that, I was pretty much moving normally! (Hey, I don't do mornings well).

Game time at the end, we did the usual exercise/coordination games: Bunny hops; hop on one foot; frog hops; bear walk; crab crawl. There was a new girl, and a couple of our kids have some physical difficulties, so I did these too.

I'm home now. I'm tired. My legs and arms were put through a darn good training today, without benefit of breakfast because slacker me got up too late because I didn't want to leave my warm bed!

You know what? I FEEL GREAT! If I hadn't gotten out of bed I would feel worse about things on so many levels. First of all, just the standard guilt from missing training, and added guilt for not being there to help teach. Once I got there and saw how short-handed we were, I was that much more grateful to be there to help out. I have a dan test coming up next summer, and I need all the training I can get, so being there was good... being there and having to make sure my form was as good as I could get it, that was even better.

From a lazy unmotivated early morning, to the satisfaction of having fulfilled my obligations, worked hard, given myself a good physical workout, and done well by the kids I taught. That was three hours incredibly well spent!

Their first karate tournament!

We held a sort of "mini-tournament" for our kids a couple of weeks ago, to give them a chance to show off a little to their proud parents (who sat on the sidelines bristling with cameras and video cameras!), and get their first taste of what a karate competition is really like. We only did kata, and the senior students (sempais) who assist with teaching acted as the judges. Everyone was allowed to participate, even if they were really new to the class and couldn't even get through their katas yet.

Everyone did really great! They showed such good spirit, and most performed very respectably. A few were a bit thrown off by this first experience of performing kata for an audience and being judged, but we did our best to reassure them and hopefully next time it won't be quite so nerve-wracking.

If you'd like to take a look at our little dynamos, I've posted some pictures on the web:

http://lirianfae.typepad.com/photos/karate_tournament/

Ya know, all those early Saturday mornings really are worth it...