Ask Your Sensei Questions - Part 1

Do you think about the “why” of each move when you practice your art? 

Sensei Dave Lowry from SMAA tells us why it’s important to ask questions and be curious about your art:

If you are a beginner, if you have perhaps six or seven years in training, “I’m doing it this way because my teacher told me to” is absolutely an acceptable answer. Students at this level do not need to know all or even many of the whys of their art. Indeed, “knowing” too much of these whys can actually be an impediment to training at their level. Knowing something intellectually and “knowing” it with your body, at an instinctive, somatic level, are two very different things in the budo. This is consistent with the thoughts of the neo-Confucian philosopher Wang Yang-Ming (In Japanese, he’s known as Oyomei), who said that “To know and not to act is not yet to know.” Few dojo inhabitants are more irritating than the beginner budoka who “understands” all the theories and can explain them in detail, but who can’t “do” squat.

If, however, you are a more senior student, at perhaps fourth or fifth dan, with maybe fifteen or twenty years of experience, then the reply that “I’m doing it this way because my teacher told me to” is, frankly, not an adequate one. Your answer should not be the same answer as that of the beginners.

Yes, I know. There are those who will sagely explain to you and me the very different Japanese way of teaching and learning. “You don’t ask questions in the dojo,” they say. You just watch and copy your teacher.

To some extent, this is true. But it is also true that Japanese students, at advanced levels, do ask questions. It is also true—and this is important— that non-Japanese students of the budo face different challenges in trying to master these arts. They do not share the culture of the Japanese budo. There is much that can be taken for granted in a Japanese dojo that cannot be assumed similarly in a Western dojo. Further, who is to say that the “Japanese” way of teaching is the best and only method of transmission? (Suffice it to say that when I insist there are too many “teachers” of budo out there who don’t have the qualifications to do so, I am by no means talking about just Westerners.)

Learn more in our latest article.

Join Like-Minded Artists at an International Martial Arts Association

If you’re looking for an international martial arts association dedicated to preserving the authentic Japanese arts, you’re in the right place!

SMAA offers certification in authentic aikido, iaido, judo, jujutsu, and karate-do. If you’re interested in becoming a member, call (734) 720-0330 or submit a contact form here. We would love to add you to our ranks!

Intro to Training Children

What is the best way to teach children martial arts?

Techniques taught improperly to children (and adults) will remain with them for years. These incorrect techniques must later be unlearned, a painful, indeed sometimes impossible, task. Teachers must not burden children with poor technique that they must unlearn later. Arguably, it might be better not to teach them at all until they are older. Teaching the technique correctly the first time avoids needless waste of precious training time later. (The old adage “practice makes perfect” is, in our opinion, very misleading. Practice makes permanent! Poor technique practiced continuously makes poor technique permanent—not a good idea.)

Step-by-step (component-by-component) progression of achievements as each new component is introduced and learned will motivate youngsters to continue, and help reduce or eliminate the fears of failure and embarrassment that often become self-fulfilling prophesies that can sometimes lead to children quitting karate-do altogether. This component-by-component gradual approach can help alleviate these problems. But this step-by-step process is aided by also using obstacles to force correct movement.

Learn more in our latest article.

Explore More about Karate-Do at a Traditional Karate Association

Are you looking for a karate association that promotes traditional Japanese martial arts? If so, SMAA is for you!

Members of SMAA bridge the gap between western and Asian martial arts, keeping the traditional spirit and practice of budo alive in the west. If you have an interest in aikido, iaido, judo, jujutsu, or karate-do, call (734) 720-0330 or submit a contact form to learn more about becoming a member!

The Difference Between Children and Adults: Learning Karate

How is teaching children martial arts different from teaching adults?

You can’t teach children karate-do the way you teach adults. This is because children’s brains and bodies are not fully developed, and children have had fewer lifetime learning experiences to draw from. Children are not miniature adults, so they must be taught differently. We would like to discuss some ways to teach children. Our ideas are meant for teachers who are not content to be occasional babysitters for small children, i.e., those who really want to teach. (We trust that includes everyone who reads past this point.)

Young people learn through contact with the world using their five senses. They see simply the task at hand. Because of this, the detailed physical movements necessary to perform correct karate-do techniques must be carefully broken into component parts and presented in a logical progression starting with the simplest, most fundamental component, followed by the step-by-step introduction of each subsequent component. Each component must be performed with a reasonable degree of competence before the next component can be introduced. What constitutes a “reasonable degree of competence” will vary with the child’s age and physical abilities. A five-year-old simply cannot coordinate physical movements as well as a ten-year-old.

Learn more in our latest article.

Explore More about Karate-Do at a Traditional Karate Association

Are you looking for a karate association that promotes traditional Japanese martial arts? If so, SMAA is for you!

Members of SMAA bridge the gap between western and Asian martial arts, keeping the traditional spirit and practice of budo alive in the west. If you have an interest in aikido, iaido, judo, jujutsu, or karate-do, call (734) 720-0330 or submit a contact form to learn more about becoming a member!

A Perfect Union of Mind and Body

Have you ever tried Japanese calligraphy?

Shodo requires a balanced use of the mind and body as well as a state of mental and physical integration. As many novices in the martial arts have discovered, it’s sometimes difficult to make the mind and body work as a unit. To simply paint a straight line can be a surprising challenge, one that can be accomplished only through a coordination of one's faculties. In Japanese painting and calligraphy, a strongly concentrated mind must control the brush, and a relaxed body must allow the brush to act as an exact reflection of the mind's movement. Shodo, just as much as budo, demands this coordination. Through calligraphy practice the martial artist has an additional means of realizing the essential harmony of thought and action and a visible means of illustrating this state of unification. To achieve unification of mind and body demands a positive, concentrated use of the mind, along with a natural and relaxed use of the body. It is this enhancement of concentration and relaxation that many people, including practitioners of the martial arts, find so appealing.

Learn more in our latest article.

Interested in Training with an International Martial Arts Association?

As part of the Shudokan Martial Arts Association, you can learn karate, aikido, iaido, judo, and jujutsu. If you’re ready to shine in your art at an international martial arts association, call (734) 720-0330 or submit a contact form here.

One Brush Stroke, One Chance

Did you know that practicing Japanese calligraphy can actually help with your martial arts?

Each brush stroke in Japanese calligraphy must be perfectly executed since the artist never goes back to touch up any character. Each movement of the fude, or “brush,” is ideally performed with the full force of one's mind and body, as if one's very life depended upon the successful completion of each action. It is this spirit of decisiveness, of unhesitatingly throwing 100% of oneself into the moment's action that perhaps most clearly connects budo and the art of Japanese calligraphy.

In shodo all mistakes are final, just as in the martial arts a mistake ultimately, or at least symbolically, results in the budoka's death. For this reason, many beginners in calligraphy lack the spiritual strength to paint the character decisively. Each stroke mustbe delivered like the slash of the bushi's sword, yet the brush must be held in a relaxed manner as well as manipulated without a loss of controlled calmness. Through rigorous training, a kind of seishin tanren (“spiritual forging”), the student's mental condition is altered, and this change in consciousness is carried into the individual's daily life as well. For the budoka, the added strength and composure that’s cultivated by Japanese calligraphy allows him or her to more instantly respond to an opponent's attack without hesitation. The shujigami, or “calligraphy paper,” which is so sensitive that the ink will bleed through it in seconds, is one's opponent and the brush one's sword. Every kanji, “Chinese character,” must be painted with a perfect asymmetrical balance, which like a person's balance in jujutsu, must be developed until it is maintained on a subconscious level. In fact, I have found my prior training in budo to be invaluable for sensing balance in shodo. And over the years, my study of calligraphy has enabled me to more precisely see and correct a lack of balance in the bodies of my martial arts students.

Learn more in our latest article.

Interested in Training with an International Martial Arts Association?

As part of the Shudokan Martial Arts Association, you can learn karate, aikido, iaido, judo, and jujutsu. If you’re ready to shine in your art at an international martial arts association, call (734) 720-0330 or submit a contact form here.

It Doesn't End at Your Rank, Part 2

Is earning a new rank the most important part of your martial arts experience?

If your primary focus is on the next rank, your ability will top out. Your attendance will spike just before tests but will fall off between them. Your focus and attention will lag during “consolidation” periods – those times when the very purpose of training is to repeat your top-level skills until they are hard-wired into your nervous system. There are ability and character transformations that can only be gotten through real immersive training. That’s why it’s so important to pick an art and a dojo that you like; there will be some heavy weather on the way to greatness, but starting in the plus column of love for your art will help you get you through. It’s also critical to constantly remind yourself of the big picture so the connection between determined practice and your personal mission is clear.

Some exceptional martial artists don’t need to be told this. They're gifted with the passion or energy or obsession to train intensely most of the time. But those who may lack passion from time to time, or who have gotten as far as we can on what comes naturally, may need a push to break through to the next level.

Getting past that intellectual understanding and into a true emotional understanding of the depth and joy possible in your training has to come from inside you. Commit completely.

Learn more in our latest article.

Looking for a Martial Arts Organization that Clicks?

SMAA could be right for you!

As part of the Shudokan Martial Arts Association, you can learn karate, aikido, iaido, judo, and jujutsu. If you’re ready to get immersed in your training at a traditional martial arts organization, call (734) 720-0330 or submit a contact form here.

It Doesn't End at Your Rank, Part 1

What is the most rewarding part of training to you?

You’ve played the game full out and your gains are starting to stack up. You’ve risen past getting discouraged by small obstacles, and have actually realized that almost all obstacles are small when you’re focused on extreme learning. You’ve started to pay attention without judging. When all these factors come together and you put them into play consistently over several months or years, you’ll notice a new depth to your training … even your will to train comes from a deeper place.

Congratulations! That’s called “character.” It’s one result of consciously getting yourself on the path to becoming exceptional. So let’s talk about rank.

The exceptional martial artist keeps rank in its proper perspective. 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.

Getting a new rank can be very motivating. It’s recognition from your instructor or your system that you’ve worked hard and learned key aspects of your martial art. It’s something of a Catch-22, however; getting new belts (or sashes, or whatever external emblems of progress your system uses) is nice, but if you only focus on training for the next belt, you’ll be an amateur forever.

Learn more in our latest article.

Looking for a Martial Arts Organization that Clicks?

SMAA could be right for you!

As part of the Shudokan Martial Arts Association, you can learn karate, aikido, iaido, judo, and jujutsu. If you’re ready to get immersed in your training at a traditional martial arts organization, call (734) 720-0330 or submit a contact form here.