Life lessons from the dojo
Oct. 8th, 2013 09:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eveglassApparently my shoulder rolls need work. I'm fine on the left side, but my right side is all twingy today. Owie...
#77: Stop means stop
Last night we were working on shoulder rolls, which are a lot of fun but (as I mentioned) I'm not very good at yet. We were moving at a pretty fast clip across the mats: we'd each do two rolls in rapid succession, and the person behind you in line needed to be doing their first roll at the same time you were doing your second. Moving that fast, when you're not entirely clear on the technique, requires a lot of concentration. So much so that when one of my fellow white belts was rolling and the sensei called out "yame" (stop), she didn't hear him and continued until the end of her movement. This can actually be quite dangerous -- it's the same reason every child in the SCA knows that the word "hold" means "stop whatever you're doing." i.e. They might be in danger. And even if they're not in danger, having the instincts to stop immediately when someone calls "stop" is a really good habit to develop, in just about any area of life. Other people may have better situational awareness than you do.
#78: Flow comes with time
I mentioned I'm having some trouble with the shoulder rolls. So are a lot of the other junior belts. But you know what? That's okay. For most of us, we've only done them twice so far. You can't possibly expect to master a complex skill like a shoulder roll in an hour. (Or, if you can, you are a more coordinated person than me.) The sensei made a point of talking to us and telling us not to worry if we're not that great yet. It'll come in time. The point now is to try to maintain proper technique. The "flow" through the movement, as with so many things, comes with experience.
#79: Don't move before the attack arrives
Later in the class we were working on attack/block movement chains with a partner. One of the things we did in particular was having the attacker move forward, kick, move forward again, and kick a second time, all on one count. The defender therefore had to back up twice. I was working with another "stealth" white belt who has some previous martial arts experience, so we were both careful to wait for the attacker's second kick to get in the air before we did our second step backwards -- otherwise you're just backing up for no reason. Apparently some of the other students would do things like shift back quite a bit the first time they backed up, so that there was no way the attacker's second kick could possibly connect... but also prevented them from counter-attacking if they'd wanted to. The important thing, I think, is not to anticipate your opponent's move before they do it, even if you're absolutely sure you know what it will be. Because they may see you moving first and decide to do something else.
#80: Insignia are powerful symbols
As I mentioned last week, I just bought my crests for this dojo and sewed them onto my gi (uniform) yesterday before class. The effect was both powerful and unanticipated. Keep in mind that I've been wearing a plain gi since I started at this dojo, so it's not like much has changed -- just two small patches. But somehow, seeing myself in the mirror with those patches sent a really powerful message to my brain: you belong here. You're supposed to be here. Now, the idea that uniforms and insignia are a powerful inclusionary force is not a new one; soldiers have been wearing uniforms pretty much as long as there have been organized militaries. But it absolutely works. Also, it makes me wonder about the sensei's decision to allow students to wear normal workout clothes (not karate uniforms) until they're yellow belt. I can only imagine it makes the feeling of inclusion that much stronger the first time they put on the gi, after they've passed their first exam, but they're going through the first few months of training with a subliminal reminder that they don't really belong yet.
#77: Stop means stop
Last night we were working on shoulder rolls, which are a lot of fun but (as I mentioned) I'm not very good at yet. We were moving at a pretty fast clip across the mats: we'd each do two rolls in rapid succession, and the person behind you in line needed to be doing their first roll at the same time you were doing your second. Moving that fast, when you're not entirely clear on the technique, requires a lot of concentration. So much so that when one of my fellow white belts was rolling and the sensei called out "yame" (stop), she didn't hear him and continued until the end of her movement. This can actually be quite dangerous -- it's the same reason every child in the SCA knows that the word "hold" means "stop whatever you're doing." i.e. They might be in danger. And even if they're not in danger, having the instincts to stop immediately when someone calls "stop" is a really good habit to develop, in just about any area of life. Other people may have better situational awareness than you do.
#78: Flow comes with time
I mentioned I'm having some trouble with the shoulder rolls. So are a lot of the other junior belts. But you know what? That's okay. For most of us, we've only done them twice so far. You can't possibly expect to master a complex skill like a shoulder roll in an hour. (Or, if you can, you are a more coordinated person than me.) The sensei made a point of talking to us and telling us not to worry if we're not that great yet. It'll come in time. The point now is to try to maintain proper technique. The "flow" through the movement, as with so many things, comes with experience.
#79: Don't move before the attack arrives
Later in the class we were working on attack/block movement chains with a partner. One of the things we did in particular was having the attacker move forward, kick, move forward again, and kick a second time, all on one count. The defender therefore had to back up twice. I was working with another "stealth" white belt who has some previous martial arts experience, so we were both careful to wait for the attacker's second kick to get in the air before we did our second step backwards -- otherwise you're just backing up for no reason. Apparently some of the other students would do things like shift back quite a bit the first time they backed up, so that there was no way the attacker's second kick could possibly connect... but also prevented them from counter-attacking if they'd wanted to. The important thing, I think, is not to anticipate your opponent's move before they do it, even if you're absolutely sure you know what it will be. Because they may see you moving first and decide to do something else.
#80: Insignia are powerful symbols
As I mentioned last week, I just bought my crests for this dojo and sewed them onto my gi (uniform) yesterday before class. The effect was both powerful and unanticipated. Keep in mind that I've been wearing a plain gi since I started at this dojo, so it's not like much has changed -- just two small patches. But somehow, seeing myself in the mirror with those patches sent a really powerful message to my brain: you belong here. You're supposed to be here. Now, the idea that uniforms and insignia are a powerful inclusionary force is not a new one; soldiers have been wearing uniforms pretty much as long as there have been organized militaries. But it absolutely works. Also, it makes me wonder about the sensei's decision to allow students to wear normal workout clothes (not karate uniforms) until they're yellow belt. I can only imagine it makes the feeling of inclusion that much stronger the first time they put on the gi, after they've passed their first exam, but they're going through the first few months of training with a subliminal reminder that they don't really belong yet.
