Shin – Truth

The kanji Shin taken from the name shinsokai translates as meaning truth.  Through training in budo we are faced with challenges which force us to confront ourselves and overcome our own limitations in order to emerge victorious.

Through practicing karatedo we are brought into contact with the true nature of our characters through the problems posed both physically and mentally.  A good sensei will point a student along the correct path, and will often guide the student head first into problems which it will then be up to the student to try to solve.  It is through facing these problems regularly that a student is able to grow and learn from mistakes made along the path.

The key attribute throughout this however, is truthfulness and sincerity.  A person can easily fool others by wearing a mask and only revealing what he/she thinks they will want to see.  It is however, much more difficult to fool oneself and the person who faces you each morning in the mirror.

I’ve always liked the phrase ‘there should not be one hairs breadth between and mans word and his deed’. 

All to often we take people at their word, only to be let down when it comes to the persons actions.  A good practitioner of the budo should always try to ensure that they are true to their word and seen through their everyday actions to be a person of sincerity; a person who appreciates the value of Shin.

Training videos

I’ve recently uploaded a few videos of some of the training that I undergo at my dojo, which may be of interest to some of you.  As time goes by I’ll be hoping to add more videos of some of the different things and ideas I’m working on in my personal training.

The videos can be found on this link http://www.youtube.com/user/garrylever06

Respecting whats gone before

I thought this week I’d quickly share with you a little tradition which I uphold in my own personal training at my dojo.

On the shomen wall of my dojo hangs a portrait of Higaonna Kanryo Sensei on the left of the kamiza, and a portrait of Miyagi Chojun Sensei to the right of the kamiza.

At the end of every training session I undertake at my dojo I will always finish by performing one final Sanchin whilst stood directly in front of the portrait of Higaonna Sensei, and following this I will perform one Tensho in front of the portrait of Miyagi Sensei.

This has nothing to do with superstition, or a mild case of obsessive compulsive disorder; it is purely my own little way of thanking those teachers for their great contributions to the art of gojuryu.

I perform the kata of those masters directly under their gaze which always encourages me to do my best; in the back of my mind wondering whether in some small way my own personal practise thousands of miles away from their native Okinawa might make them a little proud of their efforts in preserving and promoting the practice of the Okinawan martial traditions.

Are we witnessing the end of karatedo?

Apologies in advance for this rant!

After turning up alone to an empty dojo again today I began wondering whether interest in karatedo has finally passed.

A quick browse along the shelves of your local newsagents might further highlight my concern, with Fighting Arts International having not been in circulation for a good few years, and the admittedly quite poor Traditional Karate now being reduced to a few pages at the back of the ‘video games and movie’ magazine Combat.

What magazines are left out there consist of mostly MMA or doorman-reality-urban-combat articles.  Even magazines which are aimed toward the more traditionally minded budoka appear unable to fill their pages with articles related to the traditional martial arts and resort to filling the content with hybrid systems.  A look at the contents of the current Meibukan Magazine for example lists only one article relating to the Okinawan martial arts in the entire issue!  The rest of the magazine consisting of articles relating to Krav Maga, Russian Systema, and the police…

Whilst I despair at the current state of Karatedo, I also wonder whether it has been a victim of its own success?  Argubly karate is still the most widely practiced martial art in the world.  Despite this, a quick visit to the majority of dojo in your local area will show poorly prepared students following the instructions of equally poorly prepared teachers.  A potential student who will have no doubt seen the finely honed skills and physiques of their favourite MMA fighters or movie star will probably be quite unimpressed with karate and will look elsewhere.

The reputation of karatedo has been harmed dramatically over the past decade with the emerging populartity of MMA and Youtube.  With a simple search of the internet, people are now able to laugh at shambolic claims from the likes of George Dillman relating to karate’s secret no touch knockout skills, and see them methodically trashed by the media for the whole world to see.  Unfortunately the average person with little knowledge of karatedo may assume that we are all as idiotic and deluded.

I feel we are at a very critical point in karate’s history.  As strange as this may sound, it is my hope that interest in karate fades even further to the point that it becomes a minority study, much like Japans Koryu Bujutsu schools.  I think that this would make karatedo more managable so that teachers can be correctly prepared and the art more able to be passed on intact and with dignity. 

Karatedo will only be able to survive another century if we are able to cut away from the morons and begin to rebuild the reputation of the art as something worth preserving.

At the moment I remain embarrassed to admit that I practice karate.

Rant over for now….