Awesome Kata! - Goshin Ho II

Congratulations, Andrea on your promotion to brown belt! OUTSTANDING work!

Seminar - The Five Realms of the Martial Arts

Saturday, Feb 25, 2012
Time: 10am - 2 pm
Location: Japanese Martial Arts Center

09:30 - 10:00 am - Sign In
10:00 – 10:45 am - Jodo (4-Foot Staff) - Long Distance
10:50 – 11:35 am - Bokken (Wooden Sword) - Long/Middle Distance
11:40 – 12:35 pm - Filipino Knife - Middle/Close Distance
12:40 – 01:15 pm - San Chuan Dao (Chinese percussive striking) -Middle/Close Distance
01:20 – 02:00 pm - No gi takedowns - zero distance

$40 JMAC Students
$50 AOTKD, OHANA, KSK, ITAMA, SMAA Members
$60 General Public

16 years and older
Space is limited - visit us at Japanese Martial Arts Center - or call to reserve your spot today!

101 Ideas to Kick Your Ass into Gear

The latest numbers suggest that the average person spends sixty hours or more a week using their butt as a base of operations. That makes the objective of this book - unplanting your patootie - that much more difficult. How are we supposed to "kick your ass into gear" if you're SITTING ON IT?

Lighthearted but heartfelt, flip but functional, 101 Ideas to Kick Your Ass Into Gear is no garden variety motivational book serving up hackneyed self help ideas. Its tight and punchy chapters are perfect for reading on the plane, on the throne, or at your desk. We provide the ideas, the rest is up to you.

So what are you waiting for? Pick a chapter and put some dare in your derrière, some juice in your caboose, some whoosh in your toosh! After you’ve done a dozen or so of these activities, you’ll look back and wonder how you ever managed to spend so much time parked on your posterior. Check Out 101 Ideas to Kick Your Ass into Gear

The Success Triangle - Skills, Attitude, Effort

Today a client asked me, “how can you run a law practice and an SEO business, teach at your martial arts dojo, consult for businesses, write for several blogs, and still get any sleep?” My answer? I don’t get any sleep!

But seriously, doing that many things without a coherent system would be exhausting. Trying to do that many things well without organizing principles would be insane. So what I want to share with you today is the common vision that helps organize my approach to business. Hopefully you’ll find that this idea helps you carry out your personal mission or missions more effectively.

The vision is this – to be successful at just about anything, you have to have all three corners of what I call the “Triangle of Success” – skills, effort, and attitude. If you’re missing any one of these, it can be a lot harder to reach your goals.

Skills are the special products or services that you offer the world. If you’re a doctor – a spine surgeon for example – your skills are the abilities to diagnose and surgically treat problems with the spine. In my SEO business, my skills include the ability to diagnose websites, blogs, and social media for their effectiveness, and to recommend or take actions to make them more effective.

Effort is how hard you try to when you provide your skill to other people. Over the years, I’ve learned to be really good at looking at businesses and finding the things that are holding them back, but if I never tell anybody I can do it, I’m not making much effort. If I were to just look at a few aspects of a business that hired me and mumble some suggestions, I’d be making more effort, but nowhere near enough to be great at it.

Attitude is your belief that you can succeed and how well you can instill that belief in others. Being able to get a class of martial artists energized and sweating is not too hard. On the other hand, it takes strong conviction to convince groups of people, day in and day out, that what they are sweating for will truly change their lives for the better.

I believe three things are true about the Triangle of Success: (1) each corner is connected to the other two; (2) an equilateral triangle is the best recipe for success; and (3) taking a “learning” approach to building your triangle will really help you succeed!

When I say that each corner is connected to the other two, I mean it’s almost impossible to maintain or improve one aspect of success without employing the other two. Your skills will only improve if you make an effort to improve them, and you’ll have a lot more energy to make that effort if you believe success is both possible and desirable. Your efforts to bring your product or service to other people will be a lot more effective if your skills are obviously good and if your positive attitude shows. Your attitude will be better if you feel good about your skills and your efforts yield results.

When I say that an equilateral triangle is best, I mean your best results will come when you give similar amounts of attention to all three corners. A highly skilled salesman who is lazy and negative will never prosper. A tireless carpenter who can’t make a square joint and who swears at his customers won’t build many houses. The most positive motivational speaker in the world who goes mute in front of a crowd and doesn’t learn to control her stage fright is unlikely to reach many people. On the other hand, a slightly skilled person who gives 100% effort and has a great attitude will usually become very successful.

And finally, when I say that taking a learning approach will get you far, I’m talking about using each corner of the triangle to help improve the other corners. When you make the effort to provide the best possible service (business analysis, for example), it will become obvious when you’re lacking a skill that you need to get the job done. Use the information to go out and improve your skills, or hire someone who knows how to do the thing you don’t. Ask yourself if you have any beliefs that could hinder your ability to build business relationships, and if you do, find a way to discard them and your efforts will be far more efficient. Keep your mind open to learning and positive change, and your triangle will grow in height, width, and weight.

Now remember, don’t just go out and do something, DO SOMETHING!

You Don't Drown by Falling in the Water, You Drown by Not Learning To Swim!

Have you ever heard the saying: “You don’t drown by falling in water, you only drown if you stay there.” As far as I can figure out, it was first coined by Edwin Louis Cole, founder of the Christian Men’s Network. By the way, if you like sayings that can amuse or motivate you, check out the Ed Cole Video Library. Even if you’re not into religion, I’m sure you’ll find a few lines that’ll put a smile on your face.

People all over the world have picked up on Cole’s saying. It’s the title of a lot of blogs and personal development talks. Zig Ziglar used the saying in his motivational speeches, and you can find it in his books. One I think you ought to read, if you’re into personal development, is Embrace the Struggle: Living Life on Life’s Terms. The point of the saying is that, when life gets you down, you shouldn’t stay down. You’ve probably heard, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade!” In the martial arts world we say, “Fall down seven times, get up eight.”

Anyway, with all due respect to these very accomplished guys, I don’t think the saying goes far enough. If you’ve spent as much time as I have studying the science of self-improvement, you probably realize that learning to recover from adversity is only the first step. If you want to become truly outstanding, you’ve got find a way to build personal evolution into your DNA.

So I’d change the saying to: “You don’t drown by falling in water, you drown by not getting out and learning to swim!”

Ups and downs are not just part of life, they are life. Once you’ve figured out a mindset or strategy for moving through adversity, like picking yourself up after you get by hard times, then you can start working on real accomplishment. And you don’t get it by doing the same things over and over. Like falling in the water and pulling yourself out! If you do, you’ll find yourself in the same situations over and over, and I don’t think that’s the formula for real personal achievement.

You see, every challenge has built into it the germ or seed of its own solution. “Hey,” you say, “last time I fell in the water I got out, and here I am, doing great!” But there’s an aspect of dealing with challenges that’s even more important, more profound, and probably far more life changing than just figuring out how to solve life’s immediate problems. If we think about it, each challenge can teach us the lessons we need for real, meaningful, lasting personal change.

The truth is, most of us ignore these lessons. It’s like we deliberately tune out the most profound lessons that life teaches us, virtually all the time. We suffer through some crisis, get our lives more or less back to normal, sit back and say, “whew, I’m glad that’s over,” and forget to change the fundamental behaviors or attitudes that got us into the crisis in the first place.

Now, that might be because taking the action called for by lesson is difficult, or involves some sacrifice, hard work, or change in our thinking, but it’s almost never impossible. I know this because there are always people out there who have learned the lesson we were supposed to learn. Let me give you an example.

After you fall into the water and pull yourself out a few times, even if you’re darn proud of figuring out how not to drown, you’re probably thinking, “darn it, isn’t there some other way to handle this?” And that little voice in your head might say, “hey, dummy! Stay out of the water.” And if you do that, you’re not going to fall in anymore.

But what if the water is where you really need to be? Maybe all the most exciting things are happening in the water. That’s where you learn the most, get the biggest reward, meet the coolest people. So you have a lot of motivation to get back in the water, you’re just tired of hauling yourself out. And if you look around next time you fall in, just before you pull yourself out, you pay attention to what all the other people are doing in there. They seem to be having a good time, you know, getting a lot done, making friends, learning a ton by staying in there for so long. So, you ask yourself, “what are they doing that I’m not doing?” And darn it, that voice in your head answers you again. “Hey slowpoke, they’re swimming!”

So, the point is, don’t just keep pulling yourself out, learn to swim! If you find something you absolutely, positively need to do, but you keep doing belly flops when you try it, don’t you think it’s time to do more than just pull yourself out? Look around and figure out what the really successful people are doing. Learn to do what they’re doing. And the surprising thing is, most of them are happy to give you some tips. And when you get good at swimming, you can go in the water anytime you want, and get all kinds of work done there.

Visualize your goal, plan your mission, and don’t just do something, DO SOMETHING!

Friends of JMAC!

We've heard that a friend will lend you their pickup truck, but a real friend will show up to help you move. If that's true, JMAC has some OUTSTANDING friends! Thank you! For effort above and beyond the call of duty, special shout out to The Carbon Unit, Spengular, Mike K., Pat G., and Kerns, the guys who have been there day in and day out and who really made our move possible. That's budo spirit at work.

Everything DOESN'T Happen for a Reason!

Hi, Suino Sensei here! I want to talk to you for a few minutes about a saying I’m sure you’ve heard many times. Maybe you even use it yourself from time to time. I just heard a guy say it in an interview on NPR, and it struck me that what you think when you say it can make a huge difference in your approach to life.

The saying is “everything happens for a reason.”

People say it when something bad happens to them. Keith Miller was the guy being interviewed on NPR. He’d been a professional football player, and he’s now actually a very successful opera singer! That’s an extreme change, right? He had played for five years in the European and the Arena Football leagues, both of which no longer exist. When the leagues went out of business, he found himself without a job. He was a fan of opera, and he went on to study it and is now one of most celebrated bass-baritones on stage. He’s singing Madame Butterfly with the Washington National Opera.

When he said “everything happens for a reason,” he meant basically the same thing we mean when we say “when one door closes, another opens.” If we’re wired for success, we should re-write both of these phrases to get them out of the passive voice. We should say them this way:

“Everything doesn’t happen for a reason, I choose the reason.”

and:

“When one door closes, I open another.”

If we’re really going to excel in life, we need to stop thinking in terms of when something is going to happen to us, and start thinking in terms of making things happen. Which mindset you choose can make a gigantic difference to what you get in life. It made a difference of epic proportions in Keith Miller’s life, and that’s because he chose to make things happen. Here’s what he said, and if you get chance to read the whole interview, I recommend it, because he’s a very articulate guy and his story is a fascinating one. The show is in the NPR archives for March 2, 2011. Anyway, here’s what he said:

“It’s the one thing I’ve learned, is everything always happens for a reason You know, the biggest losses that we’ve suffered, I mean, in personal life, professional football, you know, when you lose something, you have to go back and diagnose. You’re more apt to go back and diagnose the things that you did wrong, what you can improve upon. And when things go well, you don’t really at the end of the night you know, you just say, oh well, you know, thanks, that was great. You don’t take the time to really evaluate.

“So you really need to have speed bumps in your life to kind of say, hey, what – you know, make some adjustments, fine tune things or just, you know, change the transmission completely.”

I don’t know if he’s studied success systems, but that’s a great way to explain the benefit of adversity in our lives. When bad things happen, we should reflect on what happened, consider whether we could have done something better or could do something better in the future, and then make adjustments to our actions. The adjustments may just be fine tuning, or we may need to completely change the transmission! It’s as though he’s been reading my journals. Look at steps three through seven from my last talk “Don’t Just Do Something, DO SOMETHING!”

3. Do something!

4. Pay attention to your results

5. Multiply your successes

6. Modify or discard your failures

7. Do something else!

The people who fail, who don’t grow, are often people who, when they experience a failure, either keep doing the same things that caused the failure or simply stop trying. That leads to paralysis. Soon they feel like they can’t do anything, and that can lead to a pretty miserable life.

The people who succeed recognize that, as Zig Ziglar says, “failure is an event, not a person.” And how they think about that event makes all the difference in the world. They recognize that they can learn from failures.

When you try to do something great – that’s step three: Do something! – and you don’t succeed, you can “go back and diagnose the things you did wrong” – that’s step four: Pay attention to your results. Steps five and six are what Keith called making “some adjustments, fine tune things or just …. change the transmission completely.”

What a great lesson! No wonder people who do really well say that it’s not about winning and losing. It’s about doing! If you DO SOMETHING with your goal clearly in mind, then the failures will be lessons clearly written out for you to modify your actions in the future. If we could go through life enthusiastically doing things without worrying about whether we instantly succeed or fail, think how much we could learn! What a great mindset to teach our children. “When one door closes, I open another.”

You know what, I’m going to go share this idea with my daughter right now. Everything doesn’t happen for a reason, you choose the reason. And if the reason is to teach you what you need to do to succeed, you can be as wildly successful as any human being can ever hope to be.

Don't Just Do Something, DO SOMETHING!

The other day I was having coffee with my friend Ian, and we were talking about what each of us could do to help people become more effective. I was telling him that one thing I can do is help people get in the right state of mind to take action. That’s something I’d love to talk more about, but he pressed me to list some of the key principles of achievement.

Now, before I share my ideas of how you can achieve success, I want to tell you a little about Ian. He’s a true friend of mine, and we’ve known each other for over 30 years. I get a little emotional talking about it, because we’ve been through some extraordinary experiences together. At one point, we formed a band together and wrote some really amazing songs. I remember getting some real interest from recording agencies. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look how our futures developed, Ian and I and the other members of the band had a lot of growing to do at that time, and the band basically self-destructed.

Anyway, the reason I’m going on about Ian is that he’s one of greatest facilitators I know. What I mean is that he has a gift for bringing out the most creative, powerful parts of your personality. This gift comes from a life lived through a lot of adversity. He’s got a profound energy that has to be experienced to be appreciated, and if you ever get a chance to talk with him, I encourage you to do it!

So, back to our conversation about the key principles of achievement. I was very inspired by Ian’s leading questions, so I rattled off seven of them. Here’s what they were:

1. Clearly identify your goal

2. Learn the path others have taken to reach similar goals

3. Do something!

4. Pay attention to your results

5. Multiply your successes

6. Modify or discard your failures

7. Do something else!

If you follow success systems at all, you’re going to hear a lot of echoes in my talks of the big players in success coaching, like Napoleon Hill, Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Deepak Chopra, and others like them. That’s because over the past ten years, I’ve consumed their writings and teachings. I’ve compared them to the wisdom of the ancient teachers of Asia, and found that they have a LOT in common. If you can afford it, I encourage you to go to seminars taught by these great motivators. If you can’t afford it, go anyway!

So, after that long digression, let me get back to the one thing I really want to share with you today. I’m sure you’ve heard to the old expression, “Don’t just stand there, do something!” If you study leadership at all, you’ve probably heard of the book by Marvin Weisbord and Sandra Janoff called Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There! My suggestion to you is a little different. If you want to real a goal, don’t just do something, DO SOMETHING! What I mean by that is that when you have a powerful idea, the most effective way to bring it into existence in the real world is to take action, take big action, and take it now!

Small results are hard to measure. If you do something right, but it’s very, very small, you may need a microscope to figure out if it helped you get closer to your goal. But if you do something big, you’re going to know if it worked or not. And if it didn’t, you’ll be able to see what didn’t work about it.

Now, I’m not saying you should just willy nilly do something huge and crazy just to be doing something! You have to clearly identify your goal and learn what the path is that will take you there. I’ll share a lot more about these two steps in the future. But the point I want you to take away from today is that if you’ve clearly identified your goal and figured out the major steps needed to get there, you can work out some action to take to get you started. That’s the “something big” I encourage you to take on.

And, finally, do it now! Ideas have a shelf life, and you don’t want yours to spoil because they’ve festered too long! Take the first opportunity to act, before doubts creep in, before technology leaves your idea behind, or before you get too caught up in your everyday life to work hard on the one thing that is really important to you.

So, don’t just do something, get out there and DO SOMETHING!

Southern Michigan Self-Defense Summit!

Announcing the Second Annual…
Southern Michigan Martial Arts Summit
And why you should crawl across broken glass on your naked knees to get there!

When: October 17, 2010. 10:00 a.m – 5:30p.m
Where: Dan Vigil’s Academy of Taekwondo
235 E. Main St. Northville, MI 48167*
Cost: 89.00 (paid to your instructor in advance)
Bring: Training clothes and other protective equipment if you desire. WATER. Snacks.

*Placing this address in Google Maps, Mapquest and all Navigation systems yields incorrect directions. “Dan Vigil’s Academy of Taekwondo” is located in the “Water Wheel Building” located on the corner of Griswold and Main St. in downtown Northville. Ask your instructor for detailed directions.

This seminar is guaranteed to take your self defense skills to a higher level. Four master instructors, each experts in their field, will teach workshops dealing with combat at different ranges. From a kicking distance, to punching, to knees and elbows, to takedowns and ground work – you will benefit from the unique insights of teachers with experience in Judo, Jiujitsu, Karate, Taekwondo, Kung Fu, Krav Maga and Goju Ryu. Even better, you will have an opportunity to hear them expand collectively on each teacher’s concepts with insights of their own. Such a depth of experience is rarely found.

We have kept the cost for this seminar extremely low (normally an all day seminar of this kind goes for $250+) so that you will not only benefit from great instruction, but also from the energy and experience of numerous partners. Imagine the fun of helping eager students from another discipline master the basics of your art, and then having them return the favor as you attempt theirs. Experiencing this atmosphere of mutual respect and fun is a rare opportunity!

Even if you have no previous martial arts experience, you can benefit from this seminar. Every workshop is designed to work for someone with no experience in that particular style of fighting.

Schedule of Events

10:00a.m – 10:15a.m Welcome and Opening Ceremony

10:15a.m – 11:45p.m Workshop #1: Practical Self Defense Kicking and Footwork

(Vigil)

Unlock the closely guarded secrets of a National level Taekwondo competitor and learn how to apply them in realistic self defense situations. No jumping. No spinning. No head kicks. You will enjoy discovering the simple shifts in body weight that will add serious power to your kicking techniques, the footwork that will give you speed and move you from outer distances into a range where you are most comfortable – plus get you there with total dominance. Get a base understanding of how to read “the triangle” that telegraphs any attackers attempts to kick or punch you.

Perhaps best of all: get 90 minutes with a martial artist who has been in the trenches as a security professional applying his techniques on a daily basis. No fancy theories, just simple stuff that works when it counts.

12:00p.m – 1:30p.m
Workshop #2: Short Distance Striking, Gouges and Rips (Larioza)


In this eye-opening session, Larioza Sensei will show the serious martial arts student the intriguing link and relationship between an ancient traditional Asian martial art and an effective modern and tested self defense system. You will gain a valuable insight into how super-human power is generated in Traditional Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate and how it shares some surprising similarities and techniques with modern Israeli Krav Maga. In this follow-on to the previous seminar Larioza Sensei will use the essential skills of relaxation and slowing techniques down in order to learn then perform demanding self defense technique against an attacker armed with a hand gun. These self defense techniques will show the student the value of slow precise practice and the need for repetition in relaxed state. The hour and a half will draw from both Goju Ryu Karate and Krav Maga. …….…..a little bit of deep theory and a lot of hands on practice to immediately elevate your self defense skills and confidence.

1:30p.m – 2:15p.m LUNCH

2:15p.m – 3:45p.m Workshop #3: Takedowns and Takedown Defense

(Suino)

In this extraordinary 90-minute session, Suino-Sensei will show you how to utilize the time-tested skills of judo in self-defense. Learn how your opponent is actually helping you by punching, kicking, or grabbing you, and by exerting force against you. Learn how to avoid making the mistakes your opponent makes. Learn to dominate the center, and how to think tactically about self defense. Learn the keys to movement that will make you incredibly flexible and exceptionally strong. Don't miss this chance to study with an internationally recognized expert.

4:00-5:30.pm Workshop #4: Grappling, Submissions and Ground Striking

(Holland)

Superior position is key in the ground game, and must be established before offensive measures like striking or submissions can be effectively executed. The grappling workshop of the day will cover katame-waza — pinning techniques drawn from Judo, BJJ, Wrestling and Nihon Jujutsu that will enable you to control, immobilize, and dominate the opposition. These techniques are essential for self-defense scenarios that progress to the ground, and useful in the event that you must passively restrain an aggressor. All martial artists will benefit by adding them to their arsenal.

Fiddling with Politics and Profits While Rome Burns!

The BP oil rig that is gushing tens of thousands of gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico is the largest environmental crisis the world has faced in the 21st Century. That’s right, the world has a problem, not just BP, President Obama, or the unfortunate citizens who make (made) their living from the rich Gulf resources. All politics aside, the pathetic non-response to the problem is a tragedy more dire than virtually any governmental or business failure in the last decade.

We are not talking about the clean up, the lost jobs, or the lives lost when the oil rig exploded. Those problems will be dealt with in the way such problems have always been dealt with. The clean up will mobilize gradually and eventually wash away most visible evidence of the oil. The lost jobs will be replaced or compensated for, most likely by yet another giant financial program implemented by President Obama and his political network, at the expense of the free market and the American taxpayer. The lost lives will be paid for by insurance and legal settlements, never, of course, sufficient to ease the enormous personal loss of the surviving families.

But world leaders, including and especially our president, have supremely and repeatedly failed to take the necessary steps to solve the most pressing aspect of this problem – the leak itself. Six weeks after the leak began, a modest redirection of oil is taking place, and tens of thousands of gallons of oil are still gushing into our oceans. Instead of throwing every resource at the problem – and we mean every one, including the National Guard, the Corps of Engineers, the experts from domestic and foreign oil companies, the best engineering minds of academia, and the astute solutions offered by the public – our government and the BP corporate leaders have spent considerable time thinking about the problem, meeting about the problem, making public statements about the problem, and using the problem to leverage their political positions, all while the oil continues to spew into the Gulf.

Our opinion is this: there is one over-riding priority that dwarfs every other aspect of the problem, and it’s so critical that the rest of the issues should be immediately put in the background so that all major effort and resources can be brought to bear on it. Stop the leak now! Stop the leak now! Stop the leak now!

President Obama. BP. World political leaders. The time to take action is now. Put the ten best engineering minds in a room and don’t let them leave until they have outlined not one, but ten, or one hundred, potential solutions to the problem. As soon as they have offered one solution, immediately bring the resources of the world together to implement the solution. DO NOT WAIT to see if that solution proves to be the one that works. Instead, start preparing the know-how and technology for the NEXT solution. Implement number two the SECOND the first fails. Implement number three IMMEDIATELY when the second one fails. Don’t stop, DO NOT STOP, until the problem is solved. The leak MUST be stopped.

When the leak is stopped, and only then, you can go back to your old ways. BP can work to figure out how to generate income from the well. Politicians can talk about how the opposing party contributed to the disaster. Environmentalists can go back to washing pelicans that will ultimately die anyway from the stress and disease of being exposed to oil. World political leaders can talk about the failures of capitalism.

The human spirit is amazing. When we pull together and all work for the same goal, there is no limit to our potential for achievement. We must bring together the best aspects of human nature and solve the oil catastrophe in the Gulf. We CAN solve this crisis, and we can do it NOW.

- Nicklaus Suino Sensei
- Director, JMAC

Southern Michigan Martial Arts Summit

The First Annual Southern Michigan Martial Arts Summit was an OUTSTANDING success!

Here are the details of the event that took place on Sunday, May 23, 2010:



And why you should crawl across broken glass on your naked knees to get to this fall's event!



When: Sunday, May 23, 2010 - 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Where: Dan Vigil’s Academy of Taekwondo

235 E. Main St. Northville, MI 48167 (see below)

Cost: $89.00 (paid to your instructor in advance)

Contact Nicklaus Suino Sensei for more information and payment methods

(734) 645-6441 - info@japanesemartialartscenter.com

Bring: Training clothes & protective equipment.

WATER. Snacks.

This seminar is guaranteed to take your self defense skills to a higher level. Four master instructors, each experts in their field, will teach workshops dealing with combat at different ranges. From a kicking distance, to punching, to knees and elbows, to takedowns and ground work – you will benefit from the unique insights of teachers with experience in Judo, Jiujitsu, Karate, Taekwondo, Kung Fu, Krav Maga and Goju Ryu. Even better, you will have an opportunity to hear them expand collectively on each teacher’s concepts with insights of their own. Such a depth of experience is rarely found.


We have kept the cost for this seminar extremely low (normally an all day seminar of this kind goes for $250+) so that you will not only benefit from great instruction, but also from the energy and experience of numerous partners. Imagine the fun of helping eager students from another discipline master the basics of your art, and then having them return the favor as you attempt theirs. Experiencing this atmosphere of mutual respect and fun is a rare opportunity!


Even if you have no previous martial arts experience, you can benefit from this seminar. Every workshop is designed to work for someone with no experience in that particular style of fighting.


Schedule of Events



10:00 am – 10:30 am Welcome and Opening Ceremony


10:30 am – 12:00 pm Workshop #1: Practical Self Defense Kicking and Footwork (Vigil)


Unlock the closely guarded secrets of a National level Taekwondo competitor and learn how to apply them in realistic self defense situations. No jumping. No spinning. No head kicks. You will enjoy discovering the simple shifts in body weight that will add serious power to your kicking techniques, the footwork that will give you speed and move you from outer distances into a range where you are most comfortable – and get you there with total dominance. Get a base understanding of how to read “the triangle” that telegraphs any attackers attempts to kick or punch you. Plus learn how a good strong kick can save you from a beat down when you’ve blown a grab or takedown attempt.


Perhaps best of all: get 90 minutes with a martial artist who has been in the trenches as a security professional applying his techniques on a daily basis. No fancy theories, just simple stuff that works when it counts.


12:15 pm – 1:45 pm Workshop #2: Short Distance Striking, Gouges and Rips (Larioza)


In this eye-opening session, Larioza Sensei will show the serious martial arts student the intriguing link and relationship between an ancient traditional Asian martial art and an effective modern and tested self defense system. You will gain a valuable insight into how super-human power is generated in Traditional Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate and how it shares some surprising similarities and techniques with modern Israeli Krav Maga. While there is far too much to cover in a mere 90 minutes, you will learn the fundamental simultaneous block and attack that is the core and basic foundation of both Goju Ryu Karate and Krav Maga.

Later you will practice how an attacker’s limbs are destroyed in a similar fashion to how the weapon martial artist attacks the hands. Finally the student will learn how to use the devastating techniques of grabbing, ripping and tearing of muscle, throat and eyes at close quarters. …….…..a little bit of deep theory and a lot of hands on practice to immediately elevate your self defense skills.


1:45 pm – 2:15 pmLUNCH


2:15 pm – 3:15 pmWorkshop #3: Takedowns and Takedown Defense (Suino)


In this extraordinary 90-minute session, Suino-Sensei will show you how to precisely analyze your opponent's weaknesses, how to apply your strength in the most dynamic and efficient manner, and how to block your opponent's puny attempts to take you down. Learn how your opponent is actually helping you by attempting to stay upright, and how to avoid making the mistakes your opponent makes. Learn to dominate the center, and how to think tactically about the takedown battle. Learn the keys to a posture that will make you incredibly, exceptionally strong. Don't miss this chance to study with an internationally recognized expert.


3:30 pm – 5:00 pm Workshop #4: Grappling, Submissions and Ground Striking (Holland)


Holland-Sensei’s workshop will focus on the key postures and positions that will enable you to gain and maintain ground dominance. This workshop will tap you into the fundamental methods of immobilizing your opponent, tactical ground striking, and submissions via joint reversal and strangulation. These universal principles will serve you not only in the ring and in self defense, but also should you need to passively restrain an aggressor. Attendees will benefit from Holland-Sensei’s varied and deep background in grappling with experience in wrestling, BJJ, Nihon Jujutsu, and Judo.




Review the biographies of our exceptional lineup of teachers!




Nicklaus Suino-Sensei



Judo, Nihon Jujutsu, Karate, Aikido, Kung-fu


Born in 1960, Suino-Sensei began training in judo at the Ann Arbor YMCA in 1968. Beginning in 1979, he studied karate, aikido, and kung-fu at the Asian Martial Arts Studio, an Ann Arbor dojo where he was a member of the instructor’s training program and taught for a total of 10 years.


After earning his BA and MFA at the University of Michigan, Suino lived in Yokohama, Japan, between 1988 and 1992, where he studied judo, jujutsu (jujitsu), iaido (swordsmanship), and kyudo (archery). He studied iaido at the home dojo of the late Yamaguchi-Katsuo, one of the greatest of the WWII generation swordsmen. In 1989, he was appointed secretary to the Foreign Department of the International Martial Arts Federation, Tokyo HQ. He was four-time All-Tokyo forms champion in iaido at his rank level between 1989 and 1992, and represented the Kanto region in the All-Japan tournament in Kyoto in 1992. He continues to visit Japan regularly, visiting and training with some of the world's most respected instructors of aikido, iaido, judo, jujitsu, karate, and koryu bujutsu.


He is widely published in the martial arts, having sold over 50,000 copies of his books, including The Art of Japanese Swordsmanship, Practice Drills for Japanese Swordsmanship, Arts of Strength, Arts of Serenity, and its revised version, Budo Mind and Body, and Strategy in Japanese Swordsmanship. He is President of the Shudokan Martial Arts Association and a Michigan Regional Director for the US branch of the International Martial Arts Federation (IMAF-Americas). He was director of ITAMA Dojo in East Lansing, Michigan, from 1993 until 2003. In 2006, he returned to Ann Arbor to open the Japanese Martial Arts Center, a traditional dojo offering classes in Jujutsu (jujitsu), judo, iaido (swordsmanship), and kendo.


Suino Sensei has been called "one of North America's foremost martial arts teachers." His personal mission is to master the most profound aspects of Japanese heritage martial arts and pass them on to his students. He believes deeply that the principles of the martial arts can have a profound effect on the lives of those who train in them.

Master Daniel B. Vigil



Taekwondo, Kenpo Karate, Hapkido


Master Vigil is a veteran of the martial arts with over 20 years of continuous training. He has earned over 80 gold medals world-wide in Taekwondo competition, including two Junior Olympics, a National championship and nine state championships. Master Vigil is known for the exceptional power of his strikes, with many of his wins coming by knock out. He has also seen action as a security professional in high risk environments. This practical experience has given him an understanding of hand to hand combat that only comes through application.


Master Vigil began his training in 1988 in Kenpo Karate under the expert tutelage of Shihan Douglas Macdonald from Hudson, Massachusetts. There Master Vigil earned a first degree black belt. In 1994 he began his Taekwondo career under future U.S Olympic Team Head Coach, Master Han Won Lee. His training continued under 7 time Korean National Champion Jae Young Kim, World Champion Joo Hwan Kim, and two time World Champion Yung Suk Jung. He currently holds a 4th degree black belt in Taekwondo. Master Vigil has traveled extensively to train with various teachers in the martial arts and security fields. Presently he is the founder and operator of “Dan Vigil’s Academy of Taekwondo” in Northville, Michigan, which is the largest United States Taekwondo Association club in Michigan.


If you are looking for a stern, authoritarian martial arts instructor, you will not find it in Master Vigil’s classroom. He is easy going, patient, and often tries to be funny.


Daniel Holland-Sensei

Jujutsu, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiujitsu, Kung-Fu




Holland-Senseis martial arts career began in 1988. He started training in Eishin-Ryu Iaido in January of 1998 under Nicklaus Suino Sensei, where he continues today. His interests in the Traditional martial arts have taken him to Aiki-Jujutsu (taught by the late Jeff Friedlis Sensei), Kodokan Judo and Nihon Jujutsu. In May of 2004, he began training in Nei Jia, the Internal Family of Chinese Martial Arts.


From 2004 to 2009, Dan Holland was the owner and instructor of the Institute of Traditional Asian Martial Arts in East Lansing, MI, where he taught Muso Jikiden Eishin-Ryu Iaido, Nihon Jujutsu, and Kodokan Judo. Currently, he teaches these arts at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Mi, and is co-instructor of the Mixed Martial Arts Program at Dan Vigil's Academy of Taekwondo. He is also a member of the Shudokan Martial Arts Association and the International Martial Arts Federation.




Current Rankings:
3rd Dan: Muso Jikiden Eishin-Ryu Iaido
2nd Dan: Kodokan Judo
2nd Dan: Nihon Jujutsu

November 2009 - Present
Instructor, Japanese Martial Arts Center

November 2009 - Present
Instructor, Dan Vigil's Academy of Taekwondo

May 2004 - November 2009
Owner, Institute of Traditional Asian Martial Arts - East Lansing, MI

May 2004 to present
Nei Jia -- Internal Family of Chinese Martial Arts under Sifu Douglas Lawrence

2001 - March 2004
Aiki-goshin Jujutsu under the late Jeff Friedlis Sensei

1998 to present
Eishin-Ryu Iaido under Nicklaus Suino Sensei

1995 - 2003: Mid Michigan Academy of Martial Arts
2nd Degree Black belt under Instructor Steve Williams

1994 - 1999: Waverly Wrestling Team
• 1998 Team Captain and Most Valuable Player
• 1997 Team Captain and Most Valuable Player
• 1998 CAC Wrestling Champion
• 1996 Most Valuable Freshman


1988 - 1992 Children's Tae Kwon Do under Gary Voss and Pat Flotka

Sam Larioza-Sensei

Goju Ryu, Taekwondo, Krav Maga, Shorin Ryu, Wing Chun


Sam Larioza's martial arts training started in 1992 when he was lucky enough to start as a white belt in Morio Higaonna Sensei's karate dojo in San Diego. At the time he never knew that had stumbled upon one of the top karate teachers in the world. While supplementing his traditional karate training with other martial arts he appreciates being able to concentrate his karate studies under this one teacher. Larioza Sensei earned his Shodan (first degree black belt) in Okinawa in 1998 and was awarded his Sandan (third degree) in Goju Ryu Karate by Higaonna Sensei in 2005.


Larioza Sensei's travels have allowed him to also train in Chinese Wushu, Japanese Shotokan Karate, Korean Tae Kwon Do (earning a second degree black belt), Israeli Krav Maga (Phase 2 Instructor) and Okinawan Shorin Ryu with Seikichi Iha Sensei.


He opened his dojo in Fowlerville Michigan called "Ohana Karate" in 2003 and now has the largest and most successful martial arts school in Livingston County with over 325 students. He is very active in the local schools and in the community serving on the Board of Director of the Fowlerville Business Association, as a Trustee on the Fowlerville Community School Board of Education and recruiting as a "Blue and Gold Officer" for the United States Naval Academy.


*Placing this address in Google Maps, Mapquest and all Navigation systems yields incorrect directions. “Dan Vigil’s Academy of Taekwondo” is located in the “Water Wheel Building” located on the corner of Griswold and Main St. in downtown Northville. Ask your instructor for detailed directions.

Advanced versus Basic Techniques

"There are no advanced techniques, only advanced applications." - Shooting From Within, by J. Michael Plaxco, 1991.

The idea that there are incredible, magical techniques at the upper end of martial arts ability is a popular one. In Karate Kid, the inscrutable Mr. Miyagi says, "If done properly, no can defend." Somehow, we believe, there are techniques known by the experts that we are just unable to perform or to comprehend.

In fact, there are techniques that are more difficult than others, perhaps because they require more muscle, more flexibility, a better understand of balance, or some other specialized ability, and these techniques are often reserved for students with more time in practice. If we look carefully at these techniques, however, we realize that they are actually composed of simple building blocks, just as are the "basic" techniques.

By practicing the building blocks over and over, we make them reflexive. By practicing the technique from beginning to end, locating the certain building blocks or transitions between building blocks that keep us from being successful, we train ourselves to succeed a high percentage of the time. Finally, we develop a "feel" for the entire technique so that we can apply against a variety of opponents, in a variety of circumstances, able to subtly adjust what we do in order to succeed almost regardless of the opposition.

Usually, the things that keep us from prevailing have to do with our execution of the building blocks. Here's an example: in judo, one of the most common stumbling blocks for beginners and experts alike is the failure to bend the knees enough. Unless the student practices moving with the knees bent enough times to make the position second nature, a percentage of his or her attempts to throw will fail. Because bent knees are a building block for virtually every throw in judo, it is essential that all students practice moving with the knees bent until it becomes second nature.

All technique in the martial arts are either basic techniques or are composed of basic techniques. That's good news - it means that, regardless of your natural ability, if you are willing to put in the time and work required to master the basics, you can practice martial arts at a very high level.

Martial Artists as Shapeshifters

In terms of the body, the martial arts are a collection of postural forms designed to express physical energy in an intelligent way. This expression of energy can be utilized for many practical purposes, such as striking a target, throwing an opponent, or evading an attack.

The martial forms themselves are nothing more than shapes, and these shapes can be regarded as tools. The ability to shape one's body into the appropriate tool at the appropriate time is the physical objective of the martial arts.

In order to accomplish this, it is important to possess both a geometrical understanding of the body, and a spacial understanding of the area the body can potentially occupy.

To understand the body geometrically, one should first be aware of the physical center point where the body's mass and balance naturally settles. This point is known as tantien in the Chinese arts, and hara in the Japanese arts. Awareness of this point is necessary because it is the origin of the shape the body assumes. The body itself can be envisioned as a vertical line that originates at the body's physical center. When standing at rest, this line runs up the spine through the headtop, and down the tailbone to the ground.

To understand the potential space the body can occupy, one should first envision a sphere whose radius originates at the body's origin, its physical center.

If circumstances demand occupation outside this sphere, then the origin of the sphere must be repositioned to accommodate. Now, the line that represents the body can bow or hinge to shape new tools within the sphere. However, to maintain structural integrity and unification, there are two requirements that must be maintained: The first is that one's shape must either move from its origin or around around its origin; the second is that every point on the line that represents the body must be contiguously connected to the origin. If either of these requirements falter, then the form suffers disorganization, and effectiveness of the body as a tool diminishes.

- By Daniel Holland, Instructor at JMAC, sandan iaido, nidan judo, nidan jujutsu

Upright Posture in the Martial Arts

An upright posture is important in the martial arts for four reasons, specifically:

1) it unifies the upper body with the lower body, so that the entire body has a single center of balance.

2) it places the upper body upon the lower body, so that there is a base from which to generate power

3) it defines a vertical axis around which the entire body can rotate strongly

4) it positions the skeleton and organs in natural alignment, promoting proper breathing healthy structure

In the Japanese Martial arts, the basic natural posture is called shizentai. The general requirements of shizentai are:

• the head is held erect and the chin is slightly tucked

• the shoulders are above the hips and pulled back and down

• the chest is relaxed and neither puffed forward or arched backward

• the hips are forward and the tailbone is not stuck out

• the knees are comfortably bent

• the feet are shoulder-width apart, and the toes point forward

• the soles are flat, and the weight of the body is supported above the toes (meaning that the heels can lift off the ground, the toes cannot)

Two variations of shizentai are known as migi shizentai, when the right foot is forward, and hidari shizentai, when the left foot is forward.

Parallels can be drawn from the upright standing postures to the upright kneeling postures, which are appropriate in occasions such as seated iaido forms and newaza in judo and jujutsu.

When kneeling, basic natural posture becomes seiza, or correct sitting. Migi shizentai becomes migi tatehiza, which is seiza with the right knee up, and hidari shizentai becomes hidari tatehiza, which is seiza with the left knee up.

The postural requirements of the kneeling forms are the same as the standing forms, with the exception that in the kneeling forms one or both legs are tucked beneath the hips.

- By Daniel Holland, Instructor at JMAC, sandan iaido, nidan judo, nidan jujutsu

Jujutsu - Ancient, Modern, Japanese, Brazilian

What is jujutsu? In the 21st Century, the term "jujutsu" - also sometimes spelled "jujitsu" or "jiu jitsu" has many meanings. The historical roots of the martial art you are studying can have a huge effect on exactly what you practice when you study jujutsu. It's fair to say that there are Japanese jujitsu systems - both ancient and modern - Brazilian jiu jitsu systems, and jujutsu systems that hail from other non-Japanese areas. For a general discussion about jujitsu that is pretty good, take a look at the Wikipedia for jujutsu.

Jujutsu is a Japanese word, so, as you might expect, the original martial art hailed from Japan. The word referred to many old hand-to-hand fighting systems, sometimes called "family" jujutsu systems, that were developed for use in battle when Samurai warriors came to grips with one another. The systems included strikes, throws, joint locks, and pins, and often many lethal techniques. The skills were passed on within a group, kept secret so as not to fall into the hands of enemy warriors. "Ancient jujutsu" or "koryu jujutsu" refers to these old systems.

Modern Japanese jujutsu usually refers to jujutsu systems that arose during or after the Meiji Restoration. They are derived from the older family systems and include many of the same techniques, but are usually more oriented toward physical fitness, self-defense, and character development, and less toward lethality. One of the most prominent modern jujutsu systems was founded by Sato Shizuya of the Kokusai Budoin. It's called Nihon Jujutsu ("Japanese jujutsu") to distinguish it from modern systems created outside of Japan. More information about Nihon Jujutsu can be found on the Nihon Jujutsu website. The founder's dojo is at the American Embassy Housing Compound in Tokyo, and you can visit the website by clicking here.

Brazilian Jujitsu refers to systems of grappling, also descended from Japanese jujutsu, that were synthesized in Brazil. The most famous system was founded by the Gracie family. These systems focused primarily on groundwork (grappling), including pins, immobilizations, chokes, and other submissions. In modern mixed martial arts, striking has been added to the practice, but originally these systems did not emphasize strikes. As a result of their intense focus on groundwork, the Brazilian systems have developed many very effective variations on the skills that had their origins in Japan.

You will also hear about systems called "American Jujitsu," or sometimes "American Goshin-jitsu." These systems can be composed of a variety of techniques, many times including the strikes from karate, savate, or boxing, the throws from judo, and the grappling skills and submissions from Japanese or Brazilian Jujitsu. Unfortunately, the founders of these systems have not always spent enough time learning their craft before creating their own art, but there are some that are exceptionally good, such as the Small Circle Jujitsu of Professor Wally Jay.

At the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, we focus on Sato Sensei's Nihon Jujutsu. This system is an excellent method for developing physical fitness, self-defense skills, and an internal calmness. The structured, progressive curriculum allows students to focus on techniques that suit their abilities, gradually increasing both the number of skills they know and deepening their knowledge and ability with skills they have previously learned. Our sprung floor takes away much of the concern about falling, and the cooperative attitude of our students helps each person learn safely and quickly. If you are interested in learning one of the most highly regarded modern jujitsu ("Jujutsu") systems in the world, and you live anywhere near Ann Arbor, consider joining the Nihon Jujutsu program at the Japanese Martial Arts Center.

Individuality

Out in the "real" world, we take great pains to express ourselves. We choose certain clothes, drive a certain make of car, and wear our hair just so. We choose who to spend time with and which shows to watch, and measure ourselves against the social group to which we aspire. In the dojo, however, the opposite is true. While practicing judo, karate, jujutsu, iaido, or kendo, we all wear essentially the same uniform, strive to perform our moves exactly the way Sensei does, and utter the same set expressions during class. Regardless of where we come from, we all aspire to the same goals and admire essentially the same role models.

An interesting thing happens in the dojo, however. Despite the fact that we strip away almost all trappings of individuality, the character of each student is not lost. In fact, the more a student throws himself into his training, more diligently trying to get the techniques exactly right and putting aside all thoughts of self, the more strongly his character shows through. After a lifetime of concentrated training, the elder sensei are not without character, but seem somehow to have more personality and individuality than ever. Along with this, they also have a quiet confidence that most of us would love to possess.

This magic is part of what makes traditional martial arts training so valuable. Stripping away the artificial badges of personality helps to reveal the real person. We express our character instead through words, gestures, and actions, sometimes in very subtle ways. For example, those of us who feel the need to win are more likely to turn a training session into a battle, while those who are content to learn may train more cooperatively. If we always turn a conversation toward ourselves, it may reveal a need for attention. If instead we focus our attention on the needs of others, it may indicate that we are comfortable with ourselves.

Selfless striving for an ideal, under the guidance of a conscientious instructor, has significant effects on the martial arts student when pursued over the long term. We learn over time to harmonize our selfishness (i.e., wanting to be "good" or to get a black belt), with the need for selflessness (training despite pain, fear, or boredom; helping to coach newer students). We also learn that real quality in technique requires consistent practice and concentration, and during those moments when we lose our "selves" (our image of who we should be) in practice, our true selves are evident. With time, we learn to be comfortable with our true selves, and move past the need to wear a self image that may satisfy other social requirements.

Acting from the position of one's true self is very powerful. Because all artificiality is set aside, one's decisions are more accurate, one's reasons for action are more sound, and one's actions are more efficient. One has a better chance for success and happiness when expressing one's true self, though how one defines those terms may change greatly between white belt and black belt.

The Martial Arts Social Contract

Between the martial arts teachers at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor and their students, there exists a social contract. The contract - mostly implied, sometimes written down - goes something like this:

As the teacher, I agree to give you, the student, the absolute best training opportunity I can give you, be it in judo, jujutsu, or iaido. I promise to offer you the complete martial art I know, including all its best aspects: physical techniques, theories of physical power, mental strategies, cultural aspects, and any spiritual benefits that are part of the art. I promise not to deceive you with martial arts mumbo-jumbo, and I promise not to try to falsely build up your self-esteem without providing any basis in real martial arts skill. I promise not to ask you to pay absurd dues rates, but will ask you to pay a fair rate in keeping with the expenses of the dojo and my need to earn a modest living. I won't give you a black belt unless you deserve it, but at the same time, I won't unnecessarily prolong your journey to black belt by making the standards impossible. I will try my best to help you develop yourself - mind, body, and spirit - so that you can excel in the dojo and in life.

As the student, you agree to attend classes as often as you can reasonably do so, putting forth all your effort, and practicing with energy and a positive attitude. You promise to consider the teachings I put forth, taking time outside of class to think about the relationship between my words and the techniques of your martial art. You promise to respectfully raise any issues you may have with your training, and give real consideration for my answers to your questions. You agree to practice safely to help prevent injury to yourself and other students. You agree to pay your dues on time, and agree not to take advantage of our policies to help you avoid paying a fair dues rate. You agree to work hard to learn your art, and to trust my decisions about when you are ready for promotions. You agree to commit yourself to the learning process, and to pass on the positive lessons you learn while at the Japanese Martial Arts Center.

Occasionally, a few students will come along who wish to learn what the teacher is teaching without honoring their side of the social contract. Such students may wish to learn to fight without taking part in the character development aspects of the martial art. They may train selfishly, failing to give due consideration to the needs of other students. They may try to trick the dues system by taking strategic leaves of absence, hoping to save a few dollars but still desiring all that the teacher has to offer.

We are happy to say that the vast majority of the students who have trained at the Japanese martial arts center are diligent, serious, generous, and sincere. They are quick to recognize that their teachers have given a huge portion of their time and treasure to try to master their martial arts, and are supportive in a variety of ways (offering to help with dojo events, helping newer students learn, paying their dues on time, and recommending the dojo to potential new students).

Generally, the more students adhere to the implied social contract in the martial arts, the less formal their written contract needs to be. Those who find their dojo implementing strict written policies may blame their dojo-mates who fail to honor the implied contract.

"Mastery" in the Martial Arts

What does it mean to "master" a martial art? In the Japanese martial arts, we are very reluctant to use the term "master." The term would imply that someone has completely understood the art and can perform its every technique perfectly. The reality is that even the very best practitioners are still working on perfecting their art. Perfection is an elusive goal, but one that keeps us training and trying to improve ourselves for a lifetime. What we can do, however, is move ourselves closer to perfection one small step at a time. Those who have been working at this for a very long time can seem almost magical in their abilities, but their "magic" can be explained by understanding that they have a tremendous ability to get the tiniest aspects of their techniques exactly right. Traditional Japanese martial arts are designed to influence the whole person, including the body, the mind, and the spirit. True mastery encompasses both dramatic and subtle changes in the practitioner in each of these areas.

Mastery Over the Body. Mastering the physical skills of a martial art means being able to perform its techniques with a high degree of proficiency. Historically, it meant being able to perform well enough to defeat an opponent in a life or death match. These days, it means understanding and being able to execute virtually all the checkpoints of a skill in an accurate manner, in the space of time and with the rhythm required to defeat an opponent. In individual arts, such as iaido, the opponent is imaginary. In competitive arts, such as karate or judo, the opponent may be real. However, we no longer fight to the death, so we substitute proficiency for deadliness.

One often forgotten concept in physical mastery is that one must not only be able to control one's own body, but must also learn how to respond to and control the body of his or her attacker. Even the most superb physical technique is useless if it is applied at the wrong distance, the wrong time, or with the attention focused in the wrong place. At a higher level, the martial artist must learn to control not only his body and that of his opponent, but must also take into account the terrain on which the interaction takes place (a concept that includes location, time, conditions, and preparation).

It is important to repeat that perfection is an elusive goal. Everyone comes to the dojo with a different set of innate abilities, so for some students physical mastery is relatively easy, while for most it is very difficult. Those past experts whom we recognize as "masters" were able to execute their skills in real time, accurately, maximizing the use of their own strength and quickness while finding the points of greatest weakness in their opponents. The awareness required to do this is profound, and usually requires years of concentrated effort to attain. Further, as you can see, mastery of the physical aspects of the art is closely tied to mastery of the mental aspects.

Mastery of the Mental Aspects. Mastery of the mental aspects of martial arts involves knowing how and why the techniques work, and constantly working to bring your physical skills into line with that knowledge. It also means reaching an understanding of how the mind works, and thinking in positive, productive ways. For example, it is widely accepted that positive attitude helps bring about positive results. In the martial arts, we learn thinking strategies that help us achieve our martial goals. We then learn, by extension, how to apply those strategies to life outside the dojo, which helps us to become more effective, stable human beings.

In real time, mental martial arts involves awareness. One must be aware of how one is responding to an opponent, aware of the opponent's own actions and reactions, and aware of the terrain. These challenging requirements are an important reason why real mastery requires so many years of training. It is virtually impossible to concentrate on all the varied aspects of any martial arts interaction, so vast repetition is required. If one is training with the proper frame of mind, each repetition helps to make one subtle aspect of a technique more efficient, and helps to make it more reflexive. Just as operating the pedals and steering wheel of an automobile becomes reflexive and unconscious after a few years of driving, the essential building blocks of technique (including awareness) become reflexive through repeated practice.

Mastery of the Spiritual Aspects. Putting aside any discussion of religious aspects, the character traits that we often include in "spiritual" martial arts include determination, patience, calmness, and balance. Determination comes from a realization of what one's life mission is, and gradually bringing all aspects of training into line with the mission. Patience is the realization that great things require great effort (not necessarily all at once, but in small increments over a long period of time), and learning to work at a pace that allows one to exert that effort in the appropriate amounts and at the appropriate time. Calmness comes from learning what one can control and what one cannot, focusing work on those things that can be controlled and learning to accept those things that cannot. Balance means coming to a point in one's life where one does not get too upset when things go wrong nor too elated when things go right.

JMAC would like to thank the many Ann Arbor businesses that support this blog,
both martial arts-related and others, including: Network Services Group,
Art of Japanese Swordsmanship, Shudokan Martial Arts Association,
Budo Mind and Body, Art of Judo, Iaido Dot Com, Lorandos and Associates,
Oxford Companies, Bluestone Realty Advisors, Portfolio Ann Arbor,
Invest Ann Arbor, and the Law Office of Nicklaus Suino.

The Frog at the Bottom of the Well

The Frog. Sato Shizuya (Chief Director of Kokusai Budoin, IMAF) sometimes tells the story of the frog at the bottom of the well. The frog, it seems, thinks that the sky he sees is the entire universe. He has no idea that anything exists outside what he can see. The point of the story, of course, is that we must always guard against thinking we know everything. In martial arts, we must always recognize that there is more we can learn about a technique, more room to perfect our skills. While most martial artists recognize this in theory, it can sometimes be difficult to approach a skills we already "know" with the kind of open-mindedness and keen interest that is required.

I learned it, so I know it. Kids often demonstrate this approach to training. Show them a judo throw, a karate kata, or a waza from aikido - they practice it once - and then say, "what's next?" These are often the same kids who come back from a judo tournament and ask, "Sensei, why can't I throw anybody?" It's funny when it applies to kids - they are unable to perceive the relationship between dedicated hard work and success on the mat - but adult thinking can have some similar drawbacks.

I've got the checkpoints. Adults often seem to believe that an intellectual understanding of a technique is equivalent to the ability to perform it well. A student may have mastered the stated checkpoints of a wrist lock and takedown in jujutsu, be able to describe the entire technique, and even be able to correct others who make technical mistakes. Being able to perform a technique well, however, is a different matter. A good martial arts technique involves balance, timing, distancing, angles or circles, and many other factors. To be able to perform a technique well, demonstrating control over one's own body as well as that of the opponent, usually requires years of practice.

What's next? Another common hurdle faced by adult students, especially those who are accustomed to using their brains at work or at school, is that they start thinking of what comes next even before fully grasping the technique at hand. Show them a kote (wrist) strike in kendo, and before they've practiced it ten times, they are already asking about how to apply the principle to a strike to the do (chest protector). Needless to say, this approach does not lead to expertise in the kote strike.

Is that okay? Students who try a technique a few times will turn to the Sensei and ask, "Is that okay?" Our answer is usually, "Yes, and no." Yes, we're delighted that you are practicing the technique we've taught, and that you've remembered the basics. No, it's not good enough, unless you want to be mediocre. How much more refreshing (from a teacher's point of view), to have a student ask, "Sensei, can we practice this more?" The goal is excellence, and that's what we hope you'll strive for.

Getting really good at martial arts requires long term dedication, focused concentration, and a deep commitment to improvement. Koga Toshihiko, who arguably had the best seoi-nage (shoulder throw) the judo world has ever seen, was rumored to be trying to improve his skill long after he retired from competition. If you make the decision to be the best you can possibly be at a martial arts technique, and keep at it for as many years as your body can tolerate the movements, you will find that a whole world of benefits opens to you. A total lifetime commitment to excellence in martial arts training can help you become a more stable, healthier, happier person, and you can have a lot of fun along the way!

Beginner's Mind

"Empty Your Cup" is a martial arts aphorism that virtually every student has heard. It refers to the idea that students should put aside their own thoughts and opinions and diligently try to do exactly as their instructor asks them to do. Whether one studies aikido, karate, jujitsu, or kendo, the requirement is the same: diligently and enthusiastically perform the techniques of your martial art, over and over, trying to match all the checkpoints provided by your teacher. The idea is that you should adopt a beginner's attitude, rather than an expert's, even if you are very accomplished. If you do so, you will find that your understanding and ability improve at a remarkable pace. There are several hurdles to achieving beginner's mind, however.

Previous training in a martial art can impede your ability to perform the checkpoints of your new art. In fact, it's more than your mind that keeps you from doing your new art correctly; if you've studied another martial art, the chances are good that you learned things in a different way. The old movements are programmed into your nervous system, and can take time to unlearn. By staying relaxed, focusing on the relationship between the technique and the principle that makes it work, and trying to work slowly and systematically, you can dramatically decrease the time it takes to unlearn the old and learn the new.

Inner dialog is another impediment to effective learning. Most of us have a sort of continuous conversation with ourselves, in which we constantly analyze, compare, discriminate, and predict. In situations where intellectual analysis is required, this dialog can be beneficial. However, when learning a physical skill, the dialog can actually impair our ability to experience the techniques in all their fullness. Martial arts are physical skills, and if our complete attention is focused on the moment, we are much more likely to absorb the subtle aspects of the techniques. Learning to quiet the mind is essential on the way to becoming an advanced martial artist.

Ego is one of the biggest hurdles to learning new skills, especially for those who have studied other arts previously. It's common for martial arts students to strongly identify with the system they've studied, and when they are offered new ways to accomplish martial arts goals, those new ways can seem strange or threatening. It's normal to experience a defensive reaction when asked to try something different, but the accomplished practitioner will learn that the reaction need not be acted upon. Instead, one can recognize that the reaction is a product of "self," a body of reflexive thoughts and feelings that may not actually represent who we are, and move through it toward the desired technique. Recognizing that learning to do things in new ways does not threaten who we are is an enormous step in becoming accomplished martial artists.

Outside the dojo, the attributes of a good martial artist - confidence, open-mindedness, positive attitude, and awareness - are tools for success. In life, as in the dojo, we keep what we embrace, and lose what we reject. A human being with a big heart has room for many wonderful things!