Hell Born

I train under the adage "The finest blades are forged in the fires of hell."

I approach each workout with the intent of diving into hell and seeing where I end up.

All to often, I watch people test the waters of Hell with just one toe. And quickly snap back the digit before it is ripped away by the savage currents of hell. Then they run down to StarPete's. Sip their lattes as they talk about knowing kung fu, or yoga, or crossfit, (or just insert your personal hell here.) And they prove it by waving their scarred digit for all to see. They just do not get it.

To be one of the finest, you must dive into hell. You must struggle against the flow and ignore the easy path. You must stand strong as your skin peels back, your eyes bleed, your muscles turn to concrete and your lungs feel like steel wool. You have to force Hell to puke you back out cause it can no longer stomach you.

People are to ready to "dip their toes" in my hell. They just don't get it. Hell is personal. My hell is a cake walk for some people. You have to face your own hells. And here are three concepts for you to face your hell, in no particular order.

FEAR: What do you fear? Injury, looking stupid, failure? Fear is one of the tools to lessen your greatness. It takes true honesty to name your fear. Once you can name your fear, create workouts to face it. In facing your fear, you study it, you learn about it and then...you learn it takes faith to dispel it.

HATE: What do you hate? Injury, looking stupid, failure? Hate is another tool, it clouds your vision. People hate doing pushups. Why? "I will never be able do a hundred every day." Why would you? Do a hundred pushups is a challenge, yes. A discipline, maybe, but they eat up time. I know people that can do 3000 pushups at a go. This also requires the help of three supporters for water and food. Pretty much eats up an afternoon. I can appreciate the skill and dedication, but I have a bajillion forms to do. Study your hate with clear vision and then focus on these areas during your workouts. Learn to love (insert hate item here).

DESPAIR: What causes you despair? (you guessed it) Injury, looking stupid, failure? The most common battle cry of despair is "I'll never be as good as you." I should hope not Eyore. I would hate to think I am wasting my time training you to be as great as your potential. Despair is the loss of hope according to the accepted definition. I like to think of it as a smokescreen covering up our faith and our spirit. As long as I have a heart, I have hope. Contemplate the areas of your life that require so much energy and leave you depleted. How can you modify these? A true warrior has already determined the outcome of the conflict before they draw their blades. More often, changing our attitude about work, family, friends and etc, is the way to go. Sometimes, we just have to remove the cause.

Hell is not to be feared, not to be hated, nor even despaired. It is to be defied.

By now you have figured out Hell is about the loss of self. My workouts are designed for me to fail. In failure, I can truly see the three agents of hell and learn what caused me to tumble. Covered in Hell Vomit, I then crawl away from the workout and go to StarPete's. Mocha and an apricot croissant never tasted so sweet.

Plus, I get the entertainment factor of the "toe dippers". "I know kung fu!" They just don't get it.

Time for you to go "get it".

Good Luck!!!

Gotta lub da Newbies.

Newbies are a great source of inspiration, learning, and yes, amusement.

Watching their legs shake like a newborn Colt after holding Horse Stance for a record breaking 15 seconds.

Trying to swing the dreaded Nunchuks as far away from their bodies as possible.

and yes, sparring.

I give a great spiel about how sparring is not deathmatch combat, but rather an exercise in strategy. Everyone nods in agreement and then...the clobberfest begins.

The newbies grab, elbow, claw, stomp and when I see the kitchen sink go flying by, I yell "TIME!" They drag themselves away from the carnage saying things like, "I thought I was in shape", and "I gotted stomped" and etc.

I stand there with my instructor's face impassive, but giggling hysterically on the inside. There will be tales at the water color how they valiantly fought with every ounce of their skill against that savage black belt. I can see their perspective, but what I saw was their own struggle against themselves.

Black belts will often face lower ranks at half speed or even quarter speed to practice new strategies. We realize that anyone we face in a "fight" will defeat themselves quite easily. We do not have to do much, maybe a little stank eye to make our opponent more edgy.

When I look at newbies, I see myself. I see the first time I suffered in Horse Stance, the first time I sounded the musical key of G off my elbow with a Nunchuk. And of course, the first time I sparred. At the time it was not funny, but I can now see the humor in my actions, and reactions.

A long time ago, I had the opportunity to train with the Grandmaster of the Shotokan system. Grandmaster Oshima told us then, "One should always train with the eye of a Grandmaster, and the heart of a White Belt."

I took this to mean that every day, I should learn something. Everyday, I need to challenge myself in some way. And wonder what if the school is attacked by Ninja. Yeah, I know you think this. I don't mind saying though. I'd lay some chopsocky on them that would make anyone think twice about attacking a kungfu school.

When we approach each day with the mindset of a white belt, we expand our horizons. If we shield our self in our cloak of greatness +5, we stop growing and begin to stagnant. I prefer being the beginner, nowhere but up from there.

Good sparring to you,

DarkArashi

my anniversary

Today, marks my anniversary or maybe I should say birthday.

It was one year ago today, that I was laid off from my "real" job.

I had explored a few options from networking to nanotechnology. Nothing seemed to pan out. And to make matters worse, I am too over-qualified to do anything else but design buildings.

The one area that is doing well, is martial arts. I have been growing personally by being able to more focus on my skills and training. I also have a growing student base. So many students, I had to jump from room rental to building rental.

I know quite a few people who also have been laid off. They sit back, waiting for things to turn or their ship to come in. I realize things will change, I'm just impatient.

I remember the words of my old Sensei, "The time is now." I strive to live up to those words, train everyday, learn everyday and sometimes, just be.

So my words of wisdom to everyone is simply, "What can you do right now?" For work, for training, for just being.

Do not wait for 2010 to happen, rush out and grab it by the throat.

Good luck
DarkArashi