Finding a Role Model series

Unconditional Commitment = Massive Learning

Many who follow my story know that I did very well in iaido competitions in Japan. For four years running, I won the annual All Tokyo Iaido Tournament at my rank, competing against hundreds of Japanese martial artists. I’ve been told that I got really good at swordsmanship really fast. Here’s why, for those who haven’t heard the story before:

I absolutely idolized my instructor, the late Yamaguchi Katsuo Sensei. I listened with a completely open mind to everything he told me to do. When I showed up for my lessons, I was in what Tony Robbins calls a “peak state” – I was energized, alert, and completely and utterly in the moment. I wanted to move the way my Sensei moved, talk like him, and to duplicate his wonderful intensity and precision in practice. This might strike you as hero worship, and perhaps it was, but the point is that when your mind is as open as mine was, you learn instantly and profoundly. When you want something so badly and do absolutely everything in your power to get it, then you tend to get it.

By the way, please don’t do anything unreasonably dangerous or illegal. If your role model engages in behaviors that are unacceptably risky or unhealthy, you should find a new role model.

Fast.

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Finding a Role Model series

Who Has Achieved What You Want to Achieve?

That’s true, you should find an amazing instructor. But that may not be enough. Once you determine exactly what you want to become, you must look long and hard to find somebody who has already achieved what you want – or something similar enough that the lessons can be transferred effectively. If you have a great teacher who hasn’t achieved what you want to achieve, you may have to find another role model at some point.

Once you decide who your role model is, make this person’s life the object of careful study. Learn everything you can about him or her...  I mean everything! Study his training habits, diet, sleep patterns, the people he associates with, his superstitions, heroes, favorite books, and anything else you can think of or find out about. Short of becoming a stalker, you can be obsessive about it.

The thing is, you don’t know at the beginning which characteristics are the ones that give your role model his or her greatness. If you did, you’d already be doing those things, and YOU would be the role model!

Get it?

This is a mistake many students make with their own teachers. They limit their attention to the things they think are important. By choosing what to focus on and what to ignore before they really understand the whole picture, most students miss critical success skills of their sensei. In the beginning, don’t filter.

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Finding a Role Model series

Find a Role Model

We’ve been thinking a lot about how to get better, both in martial arts and in life. Here are some thoughts about finding and following a role model:

One shorter path to success is to follow someone who has already walked it. Find someone who has achieved what you hope to achieve. For many of you, this will be your Sensei (your “Master” in Tae Kwon Do, your “Sifu” in many Chinese martial arts). In traditional Asian martial arts, there is a centuries-old tradition of direct teacher-student relationships. The reason this tradition has continued to exist so long is that it works very, very well.

The quality of your instructor is critical. You may have heard the old axiom that goes something like this:

“If you spend ten years looking for the perfect teacher, your time will not have been wasted.”

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Immerse Yourself in Martial Arts

The act of approaching your martial art with reserve means you’re dooming yourself to miss out on many of its most profound, valuable aspects. Those who completely immerse themselves in their martial art are the ones who enjoy them the most. If you dabble, you’re going to have less fun with it and get a lot less of its essence. Similarly, if you don’t find ways to immerse yourself in practice during consolidation periods, you’re going to fall short of your potential.

But you don’t have to fall short. You can change in exceptional ways. You can get that change by reading this book and taking decisive action. Keep in mind this truth: change can come from within, or it can come from what’s around you. Sometimes change comes from a combination of the two. Something will affect your thinking or your attitude and you’ll be able to use that push to improve. If you’re both lucky and diligent, you’ll improve far out of proportion to the size of whatever that push was. At other times, you’ll need a whole lot of push even to make small changes. If you need me to give you a gentle push, or a major shove, just let me know!

It's about the martial arts training, not the rank!

In nearly 50 years of martial arts training, competing, deep study, and teaching, I’ve seen it over and over. There IS a real difference between the exceptional martial artist and the average student. The exceptional martial artist keeps rank in its proper perspective. 

They know that the momentary joy of getting a new belt or certificate fades. Don’t go for that. 

The deep internal joy of learning and doing great martial arts changes you forever. Go for that.

For the full story, check it out here.

Effective Self-Defense ... Ancient and Modern

Interested in Japanese history? Want to learn self-defense? Just love cool stuff?

Satoh Tadayuki Sensei is one of the most respected world experts in history judo and Shodokan aikido. He rocked JMAC with two days of training in ancient and modern self-defense, including everything from judo throws to sword and spear. Day two featured some innovative use of the legs to off-balance and take down an attacker.

Visit JMAC to learn more about how you can be part of the next expert seminar!

World Renowned Karate Master Visits JMAC in Two Weeks!

Don't miss the chance to train with one of the foremost experts in karate on the planet today.

No matter what you study, you want to have this on your martial arts resume!

Nobetsu-Tadanori Sensei is 80 years old and is one the highest ranked masters in Goju-Ryu karate.

Enrollment is limited so all can have close encounters with this incredible talent.

For more information or to sign up, go here.

We look forward to seeing you "on the mat!"

Congratulations Successful Test Candidates!
____________________________________
"After the battle, tighten your helmet cords."
(i.e., to merit your new rank, train harder!)
____________________________________
What have you done to become exceptional today?
*Dream, plan, train, reflect, train.*
____________________________________
Good judgment comes from bad experience,
and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

Training Jiu Jitsu in Ann Arbor and Learning The Grind

Virtually everybody who works their way to success in Jiu Jitsu learns how to grind. That’s the daily work you have to do to learn new techniques, solve problems, keep your dojo going, push your own envelope of understanding, keep the creditors at bay, get stronger, and manage all the aspects of whatever you do while you try to get better and better at Jiu Jitsu - or Judo, or Karate, or whatever your chosen martial art may be.

Faith

Part of being in the grind is having faith that what you do will eventually pay off. That you’ll get that big submission, hit the hole in one, figure out to to deliver 5X more power in your round kick. But what’s really important is having faith that if you grind, you’ll keep getting better at what you do – that’s what really makes the grind worthwhile. The Jiu Jitsu journey IS the reward.

Serendipity

We all want success. Hey, today I pinned my toughest competitor. I finally threw that black belt who was giving me so much trouble. I bought such and such a stock at $173 per share and sold it a week later at $205. I presented our services at this business meeting and signed up 3 new accounts. It’s great when it happens.

 Sometimes we know exactly what we did to make it happen. It’s an accumulation of small things that make us better grapplers, more persuasive presenters, more effective fighters, so that we get the results we want.

But sometimes we don’t know why we achieve when we do. Sometimes it seems like serendipity. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I just got lucky. One way to guarantee you won’t get that lucky break, that momentary brush with god, is to quit. If you’re not doing it, you can be sure you won’t get lucky, whether we're talking about Jiu Jitsu Training in Ann Arbor, or about anything else.

Engagement

Part of being in the grind is that you have to do a lot more than just show up. You have to be engaged. You have to try to do the thing really, really well ... better than yesterday, better than the other guy, better than what’s in your comfort zone. If you just punch the time clock or the makiwara, you’ll get mediocre results. The more engaged you are, the more likely you’ll do the things, learn the things, and feel the things you need to a breakout.

What are you doing to get to the next level with your Jiu Jitsu?

Practice Drills for Japanese Swordsmanship - Amazon Best Seller!

We're so proud of Suino-Sensei's book Practice Drills for Japanese Swordsmanship. Current #1 bestseller in the Fencing category on Amazon!

To become an expert swordsman, one must pay close attention to detail, be highly self-critical, and practice diligently every day under the guidance of a good teacher. Unfortunately, contact time with a worthy mentor is limited for most. Practice Drills for Japanese Swordsmanship fills this obvious gap in the training of the modern swordsman by providing bokuto (wooden sword) drills to supplement the formal class activity of forms practice. Both single and two-person drills are presented, some common to iaido and kenjutsu, others extracted from iaido forms by the author and used to teach his own students the proper ways of drawing, parrying, and cutting. Each drill is illustrated with step-by-step drawings to help students hone their techniques; together they provide a comprehensive system of general skills development for anyone interested in using the Japanese sword.

Would you like to learn more about Japanese swordsmanship? Visit the JMAC iaido page to start your journey!

2016 Kokusai Budoin, IMAF Americas Seminar

Date: June 03 - 05

Nobetsu Tadanori

• Karate-do Hanshi 9th Dan
• Chief Director, Kokusai Budoin, International Martial Arts Federation (IMAF)
• Karate-do Division Co-Shihan and Senior Examiner
• One of the world’s top proponents of Karate-do and traditional Japanese martial arts

Kokusai Budoin, IMAF Americas Renewal - the federation has been working diligently to rebuild its leadership, member services, and more - join our roll out celebration - the 2016 Kokusai Budoin, IMAF Americas International Seminar, June 3rd - 5th at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA. 

For more information on the itinerary and registration fees, visit this page (http://japanesemartialartscenter.com/events/karate/nobetsu-tadanori-sensei). 

Friday, June 03
6:00 - 6:30pm	Opening Ceremony
6:30 - 8:00pm	Open class
Saturday, June 04
9:30 - 10:30am	Junior Class (ages 7 - 13)
10:45am - 12:15am	Open class
12:15 - 2:00pm	Lunch Break
2:00 - 3:00pm	Open class
3:15 - 4:15pm	Tanbo class
6:00 - 9:00pm	Seminar Reception & JMAC 10th Anniversary Party
Sunday, June 05
9:30 - 11:00am	Open class
11:00am - 12:30pm	Break
12:30 - 2:00pm	Open class
2:00 - 2:30pm	Closing Ceremony

* Open Classes: Adult & Junior participants
(Open to Ages 14+)Register Now

Nihon Jujutsu at JMAC

Did you know that the leader of the jujutsu program at JMAC is the de-facto head of the system? It's rare for an American to be the leader of a Japanese martial arts system, but Gage-Sensei's place in martial arts history is no accident! He lived in Tokyo for nearly 30 years, and trained directly with Sato-Shizuya Sensei, the founder of Nihon Jujutsu.

What this means for you is that you can train in an authentic Japanese martial arts system without having to travel to Japan!

Whether you spell it "jujutsu," "jujitsu" or "jiu-jitsu," it's still a very effective martial art

Nihon Jujutsu is a system of self-defense, fitness, and personal development. It's based on techniques found in both ancient and modern Japanese styles of combat.

The techniques include evasion, strikes, throws, joint locks and submissions. We help you learn self-defense while you get in shape and become more focused and disciplined. Our approach helps you develop speed, balance and power by gradually teaching you more and more challenging and profound techniques.

Visit our page on Nihon Jujutsu to learn more about how this martial art can help you become more fit and more focused.

Karate-Do Seminar April 8th, 9th &10th

Extraordinary opportunity to study with

Alain Michaud Sensei

• Karate-Do Renshi 6th Dan
• Vice President IMAF France
• Diplômé d'Etat 2eme Degré
  (highest French national teaching license)

Michaud Sensei began studying karate-do in 1975, and opened Karate Club Morez in 1982. In addition to his teaching accreditation in France, Diplômé d'Etat 2eme Degré (highest French national teaching license), he is a regular participant and instructor at various international events in Europe and Japan.

Join us to expand your understanding of karatedo techniques, improve your striking and self defense, and study with an exceptional martial artist.

For more information on registration fees and an itinerary, visit this page (http://japanesemartialartscenter.com/events/karate/alain-michaud-sensei). 

Friday, April 8
6:00 - 7:30pm	Open Class
Saturday, April 9
10:00 - 11:00am	Junior Class
11:15am - 12:15pm	Intermediate Class
12:15 - 2:00pm	Break
12:30 - 1:30pm	Instructor Class
Saturday, April 10
10:00 - 11:00am	Junior Class
11:15am - 12:15pm	Intermediate Class
12:30 - 1:30pm	Instructor Class

Register Now