A lot of talk goes around about how money is necessary to training – the common grumbling says that students must pay for training so that their teachers can have the money to continue training, and that this cycle of …
A lot of talk goes around about how money is necessary to training – the common grumbling says that students must pay for training so that their teachers can have the money to continue training, and that this cycle of …
Thinking that you already know something sets the mind one way to the exclusion of subtle changes. Possess certainty even in uncertainty and uncertainty even in certainty, with the acceptance that what we feel we know is bound to change …
The things most commonly overlooked in training and the fundamental concepts of training are connected. For example: when working with training partners we must gauge their level of comfort with the movements. This includes their skill and ukemi level, their …
Respect the space. Come to the dojo with an open mind and an open heart. You have heard this said, but do you know why? An open heart receives. Ukemi, reception, requires the ability to receive. In the dojo this …
The best way to know the etiquette of a situation is to observe the situation for its signifiers; this simple courtesy has much to teach us about any situation and environment we may encounter. Courtesy and awareness are the first …
It can be daunting to both find one’s way and hold a lantern for others; whether we mean to or not, each of us set an example for one another. The world is what we make of it and this …
If you are ever told by your training partners that you are moving too fast or too hard for their comfort, stop and listen and correct your behaviour. It does not matter if your training partner is the softest noodle …
Some students express discomfort with having other people watch them learn. While a certain amount of self-consciousness is natural to us all, the truth is that we are learning every moment of every day and, invariably, we have an audience. …
Students of budo taijutsu are often discouraged from taking notes, whether during or outside of training. At the end of seminars, instructors frequently say, “do not try to remember the techniques you did today, only the feeling behind them.” They …
Most aggression can be avoided; what cannot be avoided can be deterred, what cannot be deterred can still be met with compassion – while keeping everyone safe.