Why so silent?!

Hello everyone,

For the past while, I haven't been doing any blog posts. This is because we are redoing the website for Han Mi Martial Arts and, along with that, the way the blogs are done. We anticipate being finished by August 1st.  I think it will look nicer and be easier on my end of things when this construction process is complete. Once all of this is finished, I'll get back to blogging.

Thanks for reading!

Staying joyful and having gratitude while studying martial arts.

When most people first come to a martial arts school, they do so with very reasonable and simple goals in mind.  Most want to get or stay fit, learn how to defend themselves, or to improve themselves or their child in terms of attentiveness and respect.  These are really great goals and ones that martial arts study can definitely help one to bring into their life.  However, there are some common pitfalls that knock people off-track when studying martial arts.  I'd like to take a moment and explore a few of them, in hopes that it will help people when they get frustrated with their training.

Before I dive into that, I do want to take a moment out of respect to say that I'm not typing this in order to air anyone's dirty laundry.  Quite the contrary, the problems I hope to explore here are common and I could easily list three or four instances where this has happened to others or myself.  I want to convey support and compassion.

One very common pothole is misdirected anger or annoyance.  It is common to have failure in martial arts.  It's tough to be good at it - not every technique will work and you will not always take first place.  Our egos tell us that we're going to address the challenge like Bruce Lee in one of his movies, but reality comes along and reminds us how much of that is a fantasy.  That's OK, our ego is supposed to give us the assumption of success so that we try something difficult.  We have to balance that with an understanding that we are one among many and these other people have strength as well.  When reality comes along and checks our ego, we often look outward instead of inward for the solution.  When the lower rank won the match or when the technique didn't work as we had hoped, we look at another student or the instructor or some external thing to place blame.  That is a misunderstanding.  The challenge in martial arts is to refine yourself and your ability.  That refinement happens through weathering challenges.  When confronted with failure, don't turn outward.  We must learn to own the situation, become responsible, and move forward with the training.  If we do not, then we will give up and truly fail.

Another common problem is letting interpersonal issues take precedence over training.  When someone is going through this refinement that I've discussed, it can often be a messy thing.  People usually come in to a martial arts school with a good sense of balance and fairness in their expression.  As time passes, some people get too open with expressing annoyance with others in very public ways.  While there are times when people will wrong you anywhere in life, it is important to keep things in perspective.  Is training in the martial arts less important than the minor slight you may have received while someone was tired/hungry/feeling vulnerable?  If someone is making this mistake often, then it needs to be addressed in a balanced way - of course.  Still, it is important to remember that each person's success is interdependent on the success of the others in the school.  We all sink or swim together.

Lastly, it is important to realize that compartmentalization is generally counter to human nature.  If you go home and are a miserable person, then you are going to eventually bring that misery into everything else you do.  The skills we learn on the mat can be applied in life - consistency in effort, camaraderie with friends, and complete attention to the moment.  Somewhere in your mind and heart, you have to find joy and not merely happiness.  Happiness is fleeting, just as is anger or fear.  Joy, however, is the understanding that life is beautiful and that we are lucky to have that life.  While it is often a challenge, we have to bring that joy into the things we do in a consistent way.  If a person understands this, then they have gratitude for being alive.  That gratitude give a person patience, compassion, diligence, and a sense of humor.  Never lose touch with that joy!

These are a few of the pitfalls that everyone in martial arts (and, honestly, in life) goes through.  I hope each person can recognize these challenges with themselves, forgive them as well as the tension that is often involved in understanding them, and move through them knowing that you will succeed with enough time and effort.  If you are one of my students and you're having a tough time in your studies in music or martial arts, don't be afraid to tell me (just not in the middle of classes!  Email, call, or set up time to talk, please).  Stay attentive to what is happening and don't lose sight of the big picture.  Keep moving forward!

For the new teacher

One of my former music students talked to me about wanting to teach music lessons.  I couldn't be happier - he's a very talented musician, but he's also a great guy with a good sense of humor and a fair amount of patience.  At the same time, we are getting ready for our next black belt test opportunity at Han Mi Martial Arts.  While all of the people taking this test are under 18 and ineligible to be an instructor right now, they do have the ability to be leaders and informally help people learn.  These are some ideas I'd like to impart to those people looking to be teachers.

1) Each student is an opportunity.  Some will require a lot of work and have a lot of challenges.  You will get frustrated at times because you'll want to do good work for them and want them to succeed and the path won't be clear or seem possible.  Remember, this person is an opportunity for you to learn about your own patience and limitations and how to over come them.  Be consistent and optimistic - not because you're putting up a front, but because they truly are a gift to your community and there is a way through the problems with hard work and insight.

2) The student's needs come first. You are going to have all sorts of goals that you want to see out of people, but don't cut through the basics and the simple stuff in order to rush to the flashy stuff.  They aren't there for your ego, bank account, or need to vent.  They came there to learn and to be better people.  You can be friendly with students, but don't forget your role and don't forget to keep to that first and foremost.  Concern yourself with that goal primarily and the other things will fall into place.

3) Be consistent with goals and expectations.  Set a goal for the student and work to achieve it.  Don't get distracted by something you're interested in.  Which leads to...

4) Have an easily stated curriculum for what you teach.  In the name of all that's sacred, don't flail around trying to wing each class and make it up on the fly.  There is a space to tailor what you are doing to the student or to the situation, but you need to do that from the context of a solid curriculum.

5) Show them that you love this and that they matter to you!  Most of them aren't going to want to practice, do the grunt work of conditioning the body or the reflexes, or lay the groundwork that leads to solid skill later on.  It's your job to show them how these basics lead to things that are really wonderful.  Show them that you understand and don't be afraid to show them how this basic study will make things really smooth and great later on.  Show them the joy you have for even the mundane aspects of this study.

6) The moment the student comes through the door, it is important that you realize that they will someday walk out of that door and never return.  You'll need to let go at some point.  Do what you can to help, but don't try to own their successes and try to don't own them - neither are yours.

7) The moment someone meets you by taking classes with you - regardless of age or anything else, you must never see them romantically.  Plenty of people disagree with me here and that's fine.  My opinion is to never do it.  If you keep to that, then your work will never be compromised.  If that person is supposed to know you on another level outside of what you teach, then you would have met that person in that context; you didn't.  If you're single, then go outside of work to date - you need a larger support network than just your job anyway.  If you aren't single and are moving outside of your other relationship, then you are creating a very bad ethical example in your work and probably shouldn't be teaching in the first place.  That is extreme selfishness and it has no place in instruction.

8) Your skills in your field are not directly connected to your skills as a teacher.  Teaching is a skill all its own.  Have humility about learning this skill and listen to what your instructors, students, and other involved people are telling you.  With that, you need to remember to make the time to continue to progress yourself in whatever field you're giving instruction.  You not only teach techniques, but you also teach how to acquire them.

9) Teach as if they are going to do this for a living or if their life depended on it.  You never know what life will bring and neither do they.

10) If a student doesn't respect you, then confront it.  Talk to them and try to understand the issue.  If this person still doesn't respect you afterwards, then don't be afraid to encourage them to work with someone else.  If you've done your best and this person has a bad attitude, let them leave.  If you haven't caused a problem, then this is their issue to solve.  They came to you to learn and now haven't committed to that goal because something is distracting them.  Give them time if that's possible and continue to be positive and patient with them.  If their problems are causing you to hate your job or causing others to be distracted, then show this person to the nearest door.  Don't worry - the next person they work with will have the same problem you're having with them.  By that line of thinking, always be careful when getting someone into your teaching area from another teacher.  Make sure you aren't inheriting someone's past problem.

11) If you want your students to stay on good terms with you, then make sure you know how to stay on good terms with your teachers.  While not all of my old teachers are still close with me, most are.  Learn what it takes to keep those good relationships and make sure you create an environment for your students that makes it easy to keep that community positive.  It's good for business - sure.  It's also good for your life to make that connection with another person.  It's being a small part of someone's life in a way that is really beautiful.  When they nurture someone, they'll always think of you.  That's really beautiful and humbling.

12) Rome was not built in a day.  Be consistent, stay on the goal, and show these students how to approach difficult things with patience, intensity, and a sense of humor if things get too negative.

13) Encourage them to own their educational experience.  Make sure that you've taught them all the things that are part of their community (i.e. the basics).  Encourage them to look up things on their own and bring you any questions that they have about what they've seen.  This will help you to stay up to date as well.  This will also show them that they aren't on a little island studying something that is obscure.  Rather, that are part of a whole movement and a community.  This tends to help people that start to get big headed about their own skills to remember that there is always a proverbial bigger fish.

When in doubt about anything, ask yourself what will help the student.  This next thing is a scary thing to some people, but it is the only way I know how to convey it - forgive the awkwardness of my word choice here:  You must love the student.  To do this, you have to know what love is not; it doesn't own, it isn't angry, it isn't jealous, it isn't selfish, it doesn't isolate, and it doesn't cling to things.  It gives compliments without forgetting that there is always more to do.  It knows to sustain a person or a good situation, balance is very necessary.  If you keep to this and don't let your own interests get in the way, then there is very little you can do that will be harmful.  From there, it's just an issue of how effective you are in your teaching.

After you've done all of that, make sure people treat you honestly with the payment.  You will always have people try to talk down your price or get a special deal.  If you do that, then it's up to you.  However, be careful not to undersell your work.  If you are giving these people your best and you are helping them to succeed, then you deserve to be compensated reasonably.  If they disagree, then they don't appreciate the work you're doing.  Set a fair price and don't feel apologetic for getting paid.

Best of luck, David, and to everyone else that this helps!

On Ethics: Tenaciousness and Thoroughness once action is started

This is the last posting in this series about ethics in martial arts.  The last of the eleven tenets is to always finish what you start.  While it sounds like a good idea on its own, this last concept in the set offers the inverse sensibility compared to all the others we've talked about up to this point.  By examining the idea's other expressions, the substance of the idea, and in context with the others, this tenet really takes on the intensity that it demands of the martial arts student.

In some translations of this tenet, it is stated differently than to always finish what you start.  For example, when I was a Taekwondo student, this idea was conveyed as "never retreat in battle."  While a strategic retreat can be a good thing, the idea here is to be unflinching in the midst of a conflict.  Other schools have interpreted this differently instead to say to always finish what you start.  While the idea is sound, the wording "to always finish what you start" fails to convey the intensity of what is being expressed when compared to "never retreat in battle."  However, saying to never retreat in battle fails to recognize the need to adjust strategy in order to achieve the larger objective - to be willing to lose a battle to win a war.  While imperfect, the expression to always finish what you start is the one I've used at Han Mi Martial Arts.  I haven't found a better way to express it myself that is a fuller explanation without being too long or imprecise.

Finishing what you start is vitally important in martial arts.  This idea manifests on many different levels in training.  If your goal is to get a certain technique down, then you practice as much as it takes to get the technique.  You do so without a care about how long it will take or the effort expended; you get it finished.  If your goal is to reach a rank, then you do what it takes and you get it.  In sparring, it is vital not to hesitate when attacking.  You must do it fully and only make adjustments - never second guessing yourself.  Hesitation is a huge enemy to success in sparring and this tenet addresses that.  Kendo, for example, describes fear, doubt, surprise, and confusion as of the four poisons of the mind when sparring.  These distract people from finishing what they start and, in that way, point to the same sensibility.  If your goal is to make a certain number of classes per week, then you do what it takes and you make that happen.  Life will always pop up and get in the way of training.  There are a million reasons not to work and be good at martial arts, but none of them are helpful for that goal.  If it is worth starting it, then it is worth finishing it.

When examining this tenet in context, you see that it moves in an opposite direction to all the others.  Each of the others encourages restraint and good judgement.  They all ask for the student to think things through clearly, to use restraint, and to be resilient during the trails of life.  Each one encourages the martial artist to align themselves with good mental health and to have a clear understanding of their place in society.  To always finish what you start means that once all these other sensibilities have been met and intelligence dictates that you must act, that it is imperative to do so swiftly, without hesitation, and to complete the goal clearly, cleanly, and without any disharmony.  In other words, be a person that is whole and without fragmentation psychologically, be passionate and open to learning, be willing and able to accept defeat while knowing that you will grow from it, and then move decisively with sufficient will and power and complete the goal.  In this idea, there is also the recognition that simply knowing what to do isn't enough.  If it is important enough to start, then it is important enough to see through to a definable goal.  If we are compelled to act, then we must do so until it is done.  Having that worldview makes the martial artist less apt to be involved in whimsical efforts.

Post Script:

This last posting finishes the series on ethics as laid out in Korean martial arts.  I hope everyone that has read this has found it illuminating and helpful to them in their own studies.  The wonderful thing about exploring this topic for me is that the real question it seems I'm trying to answer is "What is objectively true?  What is real and practical?  What has value and is beautiful?"  These are questions that always yield new understanding and, in my mind, are the only real worthwhile conversations I could ever have.  Thank you for reading these thoughts and considering them.  Don't be afraid to explore these ideas for yourself and don't be shy about your constructive criticisms if you think I've missed something.  Besides, these topics are far too large for any one person to express in their totality.  If you're inclined, have this conversation with me or anyone else interested in these ideas.  It is only through these relationships that we get to really learn.

On Ethics: Dedication to your martial arts school

Continuing with the series on ethics, the next topic is for one to be dedicated to their martial arts school.  While it may seem awfully self-serving for a martial arts school to say that its students need to be dedicated to it, the intention is not a selfish one.  It is a recognition of how a school grows, improves, and matures.  While the main instructor of a school is vitally important to that school's growth and to it being sustained, each member has a role to play in that school's success.  Through looking at how a school grows and improves, the rapport between the head instructor and the other members, and at the times when that dedication can be questioned, it is possible to understand why this ethical consideration of the martial artist is so important to the individual student as well as the school as a whole.

In order to understand this tenet's purpose, it is first important to define the concept of growth in the context of this posting.  Growth, in the case of this use, does not necessarily mean more students.  Many martial arts schools are also businesses and so there is often the goal of acquiring students.  While it is useful to have different people to work with, growth in this way is not what I mean.  Specifically, I'm talking about growth in terms of the quality of the training in the school.  When I am using the word growth, I want to be clear that I don't mean growth of my wallet or my ego.  Rather, I'm talking about growth in the overall experience for each person in the school.  The quality of the sparring, the execution of forms, the improvement of the relationships within the school, and other issues along these lines are what I am talking about.  If there is misunderstanding on this point, then people will think I have cheapened these ethical tenets to mean each student should help me make more money.  While I am in business to make money, I am also in business to do the best work I can for each person.  I don't hide that making money is part of any business, it is not something I expect others to add to their ethical outlook; that would be absurd to the point of being offensive.  This tenet deals with something else.

In order for the quality of a student's skill to improve, then this student must be in relationship with something else.  This is a fact.  Perhaps, that student is in relation to a sparring partner, an instructor, or an ideal model in terms of movement.  In all of these cases, growth happens through the act of relationship.  Without relationship, there is no growth.  This relationship allows for self-evaluation, questioning, experimentation, and refinement.  Understanding this is vital if a martial arts student wants to improve.

When a group of people decide to come together and work to help each other improve, then there is a really wonderful opportunity made possible for each person in that arrangement.  One person learns and applies that technique while working with another.  That person learns this technique and finds ways to counter it or to apply it in a way that has not been explored by the group before.  One person has an idea and brings it to the group and they collectively look at it, offer criticism constructively, support the parts that are workable, and distill it down to it's essence.  This is, ideally, a group of people that set aside ego and pure self-interest in order to arrive at something new and better - to grow.  Rarely, do many of us in day to day life have a place where we can go to do these things - to learn about what we love and to learn about ourselves.  This process is often tumultuous; growth is often done through stressful situations that make a person feel vulnerable emotionally.  Dedication to this community means that you will see through your own growth process with an indomitable spirit and to be there for the others in the school as a dedicated friend while they go through their own process.

Unfortunately, not everyone that comes to a martial arts school understands this.  Many people come in looking for a belt, looking to have their own ego stroked, or without any real interest in connecting with others.  These people cycle through over time.  They will be around for a little while and then fade out.  They will either feel slighted and leave, become delusional about their own skills, or become dojo-hoppers and always look for another group of people to train with while not really taking those relationships and hard work seriously.  I'm sure it's a variation on people having commitment issues in life. While it is always sad to see wasted potential, it is not for me to decide if they will stay or go.  It is my job to regulate this environment and make sure that people adhere to a proper sense of community.  If they do not, then I have to get involved and help regulate things.  Sometimes, it feels like my job is only stressful in having to manage the behaviors of students - often, the adult ones.  If my job were only to teach techniques, then people could just look up videos online.  A martial arts school is about community and the people that understand this fact thoroughly are really a joy to be around both in and out of the school.  I try to treat each of them like the treasure they are.

There are times, unfortunately, when this dedication has to be questioned.  I feel I need to say this because it would be disingenuous of me not to mention that I have left two schools during my martial arts journey.  While I have always tried to leave the vast majorities of the bridges intact in my life, there are a few that had to be burned along the way.  Both ended because the instructional environment became unhealthy.  Head instructors at these schools began expecting things from me that were inappropriate.  At no time should a martial arts instructor have influence over your personal relationships outside of classes.  At no time should an instructor expect adherence to their religious beliefs in order to progress in their school.  No one should have to tolerate having to turn over immense amounts of their own personal time to help the instructor out to the detriment of his or her own life and home.  No one should have to tolerate fraudulent behavior from an instructor.  No one should ever need to take on responsibilities for their instructor that are inappropriate and due to that instructor's lack of interest and ill-attention.  I don't regret working with these groups and individuals.  I look back at many of my experiences with them as formative and very worthwhile.  Still, these environments changed from the kinds that gave me a good experience to something that was either unhealthy and unsustainable or blatantly unethical and cult-like.  All relationships have to respect boundaries and all life deserves to be respected and to not be harmed by another carelessly.  If the people in the school aren't ethical and accountable, then find a school that is.  If you are in a situation where you are thinking about leaving a school, make sure you consider the issue causing the tension.  Sometimes, it is hard to see what is a problem with the school and what is the tension in your own growth.  If the school members and the instructor are behaving ethically yet you find yourself upset or angry with them, then look in the mirror before turning your back on your school.  If you are sure that the group is unhealthy and unwilling to examine their behavior, then leave and find a group that is.  With that, try not to drag their name through the mud when you leave (notice, I have not mentioned which schools with which I studied or which one was engaged in any particular behavior).  Know that all people are fallible and everyone is going through life as best they can.  Check your resentment, pack your equipment, and move on to greener pastures if you must.  You never know what the future will have in store and leaving may actually give you credibility if you do it without malice.  If you must leave, do it quickly and quietly.  There's no shame in that.

In looking at the need for relationship in order to foster growth for an individual as well as a group, it becomes clear to see the importance of each member of a school to be dedicated to each other.  This dedication is not divisive between schools, but rather to the group of people working with you directly.  This ethical tenet of martial arts is the practical application of being devoted to the greater community, respecting your teachers, and being a dedicated friend.  In doing this, the relationships in the school can act as a mirror for each person to understand their own strengths, faults, challenges, and triumphs.  Without dedication to each other, this growth will not be possible.

On Ethics: Building a Durable Soul

In this blog post, we will take a look at the next tenet in this series on ethics in martial arts; specifically, what it means to cultivate an indomitable spirit.  There are different ways of expressing this idea and other martial arts have described it in their own ways as well.  By comparing and contrasting these expressions of the concept, I hope to explore the idea of having a spirit that is unified in itself and is able to stand up to the challenges in life.  For many martial artists, this is a defining characteristic of martial arts study outside of style or background.  Said directly, it is the ability for someone to handle defeat and failure with humility, grace, and the understanding so that you will try again until you find success.

In Korean martial arts, the idea is expressed that having an indomitable spirit is important.  The word indomitable is a curious one that isn't typically used in day to day language.  The word means unable to be defeated.  Notice that it doesn't say to be indomitable as a person; we all experience failures, set backs, and trials in life.  However, these difficulties need not defeat us inwardly.  In spite of these problems and defeats, we must get back up on our feet and press forward.  Without this inward strength, nothing of any consequence or importance can be created.  Nothing worth doing is easy - a concept that has been expressed by people from Theodore Roosevelt to George Bernard Shaw.  If we recognize that, then we must learn to withstand the challenges of life and move forward in spite of them.  In reading this, it seems obvious and almost cliche.  I'm reminded of the dialogue from the movie Rocky Balboa where he expressed this.  It was also expressed by the character Bill in the second Kill Bill movie when he said the Superman comics needed Kryptonite as a plot device in order to make Superman a brave and interesting character.  Forgive my digression; my point is to say that this is a concept people talk about, but maybe we don't explore it beyond this cursory level.  There are implications to this idea that are much more far reaching and challenging.

In some Japanese martial arts like Kendo or Jujitsu, this idea is often expressed differently.  Many within these styles take on this expression through the Buddhist view that life is suffering.  That through suffering, people learn to understand and that, given the choice, it is better to suffer than to not.  For many people, this seems incredibly bleak and morose.  Still, there is a congruent sense about this expression and having an indomitable spirit.  It is not an indomitable spirit if it goes untested.  Life will test everyone now as it has tested everyone and everything in the past and as it will in the future.  Growth in nature happens by creatures looking for advantages and not being something else's dinner.  Through that process, the creatures more able to adapt move forward and the one's unable to adapt become protein for those that can.  It seems bleak and depressing, but it is a fact that is unavoidable.  This same concept holds true for ideas and people - the ones that stand up to the rigors of reality last and the ones that don't work are eventually discarded.  If one doesn't learn to strengthen their own spirit in order to weather the storms in life, then life will leave them behind.

So, what does it mean to strengthen one's spirit?  As described in earlier postings, it is important to not be a fragmented person.  One must be able to see what is true and adapt to it.  Many people, when confronted with the truth about things in life or with themselves, hide, make excuses, deny, fight, or fall into depression.  These things are understandable, but fruitless.  It is very tough to come face to face with a real inward truth and just be present with it - without making a judgement, justification, or counter argument.  For example - if my behavior is vain and I think I am better than other people around me, life will eventually show me that I'm made of the same flesh and bone as the others and I will be cut down to size.  This happens a lot to people in the 1st through 3rd degree area in martial arts; they talk themselves into being better than others and, when life eventually demonstrates that they aren't, then feel compelled to leave martial arts, blame the other students for being abusive, or blame the instructor for not being of a good quality.  This is a common example that happens in every school of every style of martial arts where the students are being challenged.  If someone hasn't learned that their ego and skill will be challenged by life and that they need to weather this challenge in order to do anything of worth in martial arts, then they will stop their study and self-stultify.  I've seen it in many others that I've trained with more times that I'd like and I've almost fallen victim to it myself.  Luckily, I have had some wonderful teachers that helped explain this to me over the years and family that did a great job of reminding me of where I come from and not to think myself separate or above anyone else.  Falling into this trap is the only real way to fail in martial arts, in my mind.  This is only one example, but I'm sure it is easy for anyone to see that this concept has far reaching implications in life.

If one understands not to be fragmentary and to accept that failure is inevitable when trying to do something new and difficult, then it begins to alter their perceptions of what is happening to them and to what other people are going through in life.  A person with this understanding looks at failure as a great teacher and as a guide.  They approach others with humility and support because they know the other person is going through the same things - even if the other person is unaware of this fact.  When this person sees someone boastful or talking about an undefeated record, they know that this is someone that is untested and about to have a great fall.  The person with an indomitable spirit knows how to rally themselves and to be their own best cheerleader.  They know that if they are standing, both hands clenched, eyes open and mind attentive, that there is a chance for success.  They move forward in spite of whatever words are said, things are done, or accolades given or taken away knowing full well that there is another bigger hill after this one waiting for them.  That there is another bounty of understanding and insight for them after weathering the trial.  Their roots reach through the acknowledgements and criticisms from others and themselves into passion for life, curiosity about the world, and a need to be simpler and cleaner inwardly.  This person can never truly be defeated and they look forward to the next challenge knowing full well that they may not be successful.

... and they can't wait.

On Ethics: Restraint when being aggressive

Continuing with the series on ethics, I'd like to look at the tenet to use good judgement before causing harm to any living thing.  Like some of the others, the idea seems pretty obvious.  However, there are implications to the idea that are worth exploring.  By examining the original expression of this idea, the expression of the tenet used at Han Mi, and some of the implications that go beyond physical conflict, I hope to give a clearer explanation on how I think about the idea to use good judgement before harming any living thing.

In the original five tenets of the Hwarang, this concept was expressed as "exercise discretion before taking a life."  Just as it reads, this tenet compels the martial artist to only kill in a situation that would require it.  The Hwarang were often actively involved in the military and had to be concerned with matters of life and death.  The idea here is that your enemy is not evil - even if they are doing an activity that could be thought of as such.  This person may be attacking because their community needs resources to survive, they feel threatened by your presence, or any other number of things that compel people to be violent.  This expression of the tenet recognizes that everyone should have the ability to live and that should only be challenged with great care and only as a last resort.

When writing these tenets out for Han Mi Martial Arts, I thought about this idea for some time.  In studying Hapkido, it was always considered a sign of bad mental health if a student was constantly interested in techniques that caused the most damage.  While it is important to know effective technique, effectiveness of technique doesn't always mean doing damage.  Often, it means restraining the opponent and removing the desire to continue to be violent.  Overly destructive behavior shows that the student is emotionally insecure; that their interests exceed mere self-defense and has gone into cruelty.  Sadistic behavior like this is unhealthy and, to my view, unethical.  Allowing someone to learn martial arts without addressing this dark side is, in my view, the equivalent of handing a loaded gun to a child - it would be unethical for me as a teacher to allow it persist.  Still, this isn't directly expressed in the 11 tenets.

Beyond the physical implications of martial arts study, I also felt it was important to express the psychological and emotional aspects; specifically, the importance of not be mentally abusive to other people.  While there are times where intimidation or other psychological pressures may be appropriate, they should be employed with the same care as any kick, punch, or other offensive technique.  While not as outwardly obvious, emotional and psychological abuse are just as destructive as the physical kind.  It is important to me that our students understand this and not become bullies in any way.  Empowering our students ideally means to give them the confidence and awareness to be good stewards of the community.  Good stewardship means being interested in everyone's well-being and not adding to anyone's misery unnecessarily.

From these different view points, the expression of this tenet I decided to go with was to use good judgement before harming any living thing.  This change from killing to harming brings about another level of sensitivity for each of us.  Rather than only being concerned about ending life, we are interested in the well-being of others physically and psychologically.  This tenet also can be applied inwardly; that it is important not to take on harm without good reason oneself.  That interpretation compels the martial artist to not allow others to hurt them without good reason (i.e. saving a friend by risking yourself).  This is a practical way to express the view that life is precious and important.  Life and comfort should only be taken away for very clear reasons and only as a last resort.  This tenet flows upwards to the first one (be devoted to the greater community) and to some of the remaining tenets as well when stated this way.

On Ethics: Behavior in Community and Learning

Continuing further with our look at ethics in martial arts, we are now tackling the next three tenets of Korean martial arts.  Similar to the last posting, this will address these three tenets together because they are complimentary to one another.  Namely, being a dedicated friend, being respectful of those senior to you, and being respectful of your teachers are useful concepts when going about life in the martial arts school, in day to day life, and within your profession.  One may not always think about these issues, but doing so can make many situations in work and school life smoother and more fulfilling.

It may seem obvious that one should be a dedicated friend.  Still, how is one to be a dedicated friend when that person is in the middle of making a decision you are personally opposed to?  Dedication is a very easy thing when everyone is agreeing and happy, but it is much more difficult to do when there is a disagreement.  While you may have opinions worthy of a second look, that does not mean that you will come to an agreement.  Instead, we must try to take a larger view and accept our friend's decision in life - assuming it doesn't have any negative ethical implications.  Being a dedicated friend means freedom from your own opinions in life.  This freedom allows a person to be able to examine their own life objectively and to try to find a more central understanding of things.  Without that, you are actually dedicated only to people that reflect your views - a kind of vanity.

The idea of being respectful of elders also seems like low hanging fruit and a bit of a cliche.  Older people want to be respected and younger people often want the space to explore their lives without constant judgement.  If people learn now to be a dedicated friend, then they are able to give others the space they need to explore their own interests and desires.  From that, this understanding makes it possible for someone older to be able to share opinions and experience without expecting conformity.  By being around longer, older people have the capacity to give greater context to things happening currently.  All the energy of youth can then be spent doing something truly interesting rather than simply re-inventing the wheel.  This keeps the mind of an older person young and also allows for re-examination and greater understanding.  Giving a second look to the words of an elder helps keeps the brashness of youth in check without creating mere conformity.  In this way, the entire community is improved by the simple idea of respecting an elder.

Respecting a teacher is much along the same lines as respecting an elder.  For a long time, I wondered why this was listed separately from respecting elders.  In thinking it over, I came to another understanding on this concept.  A teacher has specifically dedicated their lives to instruction.  While that does not make that person perfect, it does mean that they take instructing other people very seriously.  If you have come to this person to learn, then it is important that you take the words of this person and at least give them a second look.  Trust this person to try to help you understand what they understand.  As odd as it sounds, acquiring knowledge is a form of imitation.  You want to know how to do something that another person knows how to do, and so you imitate.  Before passing judgement on what they are doing, be sure to learn thoroughly what is being taught.  After you have learned it and have been able to replicate the same level of success, then you have become a person of some level of authority (i.e. capable of authoring in that subject).  From there, your critique of the earlier work has merit and is actually useful.  To critique in mid-learning is short-sighted and, ultimately, self-destructive.  If the teacher is teaching something wrong, then explore it fully.  In doing so, you will still learn a great deal.  This doesn't mean to follow blindly; rather, be an active participant and explore things fully.  Share what you find with your teacher and create a community where everyone grows and improves while supporting one another.  Communities with these kinds of people always end up building things that are worthwhile.

These three tenets encourage the martial arts student to be a positive element in their community and in their learning.  Being a dedicated friend encourages each person to have an appropriate relationship with their peers.  Being respectful of elders creates a relationship where a person can learn from another person's experiences while still exploring their own life's course.  Being respectful of a teacher allows for a student to get out of his or her own way and to explore what is being taught thoroughly without worry of mistake.  Embodying these three ideas allows for the creation of community and civilized discourse without conformity or prejudice.  This level of intellectual freedom and active exploration can be tumultuous, but lead to technical and personal innovation as well as the ability to realize one's potential in life.

On Ethics: A Stable Home

As part of the series on ethics in martial arts, I'd like to examine the next three of the eleven tenets.  I don't do this to diminish each one's importance.  Instead, I see them as all pertaining to having a healthy home and family life.  The three tenets are to be respectful of your parents, to be respectful and faithful to your spouse, and to be respectful of siblings.

Admittedly, this may seem like an ethical examination on these three ideas is little bit simplistic.  Who would tell someone not to respect other people?  Of course, these things seem almost obvious.  Still, what if you're not a child and you have family that is overbearing?  People that are married or coupled often have problems and sometimes people move outside of that relationship to find solace.  What does this have to do with being a martial artist?

First, I'd like to take a moment to consider the word "respect".  It is a word we use in language often, but I don't know that we ever take time to really consider it's original meaning.  Colloquially, we use it to mean to hold someone or something in esteem - to hold it above ourselves as something we should follow.  I think there may be a more thoughtful way to look at this.  If we look at the parts of the word respect, we see the prefix "re" and the second part "spect."  Looking at it this way, we see that "re" means to do again - as in to repeat or redo - while "spect" means to view or ponder - as in spectacle or speculation.  Use of the word respect here means instead to be worthy of a second view.

For young children, I don't push this concept.  They need to follow what parents and siblings are telling them to keep them from harm.  However, these young people will have to be reliant on themselves at some point.  During that transition and even afterwards, they will get advice or views from family.  Some of that advice will be worth its weight in gold.  Some of it will just be loving and caring opinions from other fallible human beings doing their best to support someone they care about.  In any case, these people are trying to be a positive force in life and deserve a second look when they say something with which you disagree.  I know in my own experience, my family has found me to be someone that has taken a very different path then what they would have chosen for me.  Still, I'd like to think they are happy that I am doing well with a fair amount of success in the things I've chosen.  When they gave me their contrary views about being a professional musician, martial artist, or any of the other things we've disagreed on, I know how slowly and carefully I considered their views before choosing.  While I didn't always agree, I respected them and treated them with kindness while they allowed me to find my own way.

For a partner or spouse, they also deserve respect.  This person is choosing to be with you and has committed to creating a home with you.  That is a lot of trust both emotionally and financially.  This person not only deserves to be given a second look before a choice is made, but they also deserve your honesty, your sincerity, your consistency, and your attention.  Without these things, then this partner you have chosen cannot act intelligently in your relationship and in their own lives.  Even if you are going through something very trying and challenging to the future of the relationship, this tenet says to us that we must be fully open with this person, as we are with ourselves.  We must also be willing to accept that person being open with us in the same way. There is no guarantee of security in a relationship or marriage even when are you respectful and faithful, and many people are afraid that their relationship will fail if they say something their partner doesn't want to hear. However, there can be no sincerity, growth, or closeness without honesty, communication, and adherence to the truth.  It is hard to have an ethical life if one cannot be honest with oneself and the other person that one voluntarily decides to make a home with.

Being respectful of parents, respecting and being faithful to your spouse, and being respectful of siblings are important parts of living an ethical life.  A martial artist that understands these things will learn to listen to people that have known them and have seen their changes over the years to help gain perspective.  That shouldn't be confused with blindly following; rather, to be thoughtful and to have patience when confronted with things in life.  In doing so, it will help to alleviate tension and disharmony in the relationships in the family and in the home.

On Ethics: Fealty to the King - in a Democracy

In the late 90's, I first was exposed to the concept of ethical tenets in Korean martial arts.  Like many Americans with a Judeo-Christian background, seeing the words "10 Commandments" on the wall tends to grab one's attention.  The slightly de-emphasized "of Taekwondo" afterwards just added to the curiosity. The first one read "Be Loyal to your Country."  Many people read this and just accept it, but I am interested in being thoughtful about this and dissecting it.  I'd like to share the results of this process presently.

By looking at the evolution of this tenet, considering the historical context, and examining the counter point of this idea, I hope to explore the implications of this statement to be loyal to one's country and find a universal way to express it.  I want to do this in a way that is respectful to everyone that is community minded and works either through law enforcement or the military to try to protect the country and community that I live in.  While their dedication is important, I think that the dedication often transcends borders and national identity.  I think that is a value that can also be encompassed within this tenet.

Originally, the first tenet of the Hwarang was to have fealty to the King.  This meant that you would be fiercely loyal to the king with your life.  Looking at the time period in which the Hwarang existed, the three kingdoms era on the Korean peninsula was a tense time.  There were any number of minor skirmishes up through all-out war between these countries as they attempted to dominate the area.  Complete devotion was necessary to defend the kingdom from outside invaders.

As martial arts training moved into the 20th century, these ethical tenets were re-examined in order to state them in a way that made more sense to the changing times.  There were no more kings in Korea.  While the peninsula was once again divided by either Japanese occupation or from the civil war between what is now North and South Korea, it was important to be devoted to your country in order to keep out the invading forces from across the sea or the 38th parallel.  In order to be strong, a country must be unified.  It is very easy to see that the goal of this tenet is to have a strong country in order to deal with outside aggressors.  This is something very easily and commonly accepted.

While this view has obvious merits, there are aspects that beg for a closer look.  As was alluded to in the last paragraph, division brings about disharmony, chaos, and violence.  The country divided inwardly cannot deal with a threat outwardly.  As this is true with a country, it is also true with each individual.  A person with constant conflicting thoughts will not have all of their energies directed towards dealing with an external challenge.  Wouldn't the same be true of entire world?  If a country acts only in its own self-interest, won't that have consequences for the other countries in the world?  We see many examples of this in world economics, the starting of wars, and in inaction during atrocities.  Merely being loyal to one's country isn't always enough.  Divisions between countries yield conflict in the same way as divisiveness in a person; there is no unified movement and there is friction.

When I took my third dan test, I wrote a paper on this.  In that paper, I described these views in detail and came up with another way to state this concept that captured the idea of supporting one's community while being a member of an increasingly global society.  It was to always "be devoted to the greater community."  This allows for a broader range of contexts.  Within a group, one needs to be concerned with the functioning of the group as a whole and work to facilitate that.  In my my province or state, I must be aware of the local issues and be an active positive participant in promoting common health and unity.  In my country, I must do the same and not let my smaller community's interests be an unnecessary drag to my fellow Americans.  As an American, I cannot let my country's interests be a detriment to the health and security of the entire world.  This concept transcends politics into race, religion, or any other issue.  To be ethical, one must be willing to see the larger context and consider that when choosing how to spend one's time and energies in life.  Not doing so would be selfish, careless, anti-social, and unintelligent.

In discussing this with others, there have been two arguments that have come up that are counter to this.  One, is the idea the a soldier should not question the orders of a superior officer.  This is a very understandable thing to say; orders are given and often the impact of those orders should not be questioned because your failure could cause injury or death for many other people.  Again, the value judgement of thinking of the larger community comes into play and a person must use their intelligence here.  We would all agree that following orders does not make someone innocent of their own bad choices.  Being devoted to the larger community can compel someone to do something that is immediately distasteful in order to end a conflict.  The other argument is along the lines of ideas put forth by people like Ayn Rand; that selfishness should compel a person when thinking of the greater community and that altruistic behavior is actually self-defeating.  While there is a valid point made that a person need not self-martyr themselves for others that may be unwilling or uninterested in doing work for themselves, every civilization has only been made possible by all the individuals deciding to be concerned for their neighbor over their own immediate self-interest.  Even in other animals, we see communal behavior being the only way to move the species forward and the ones not adhering to this idea quickly becoming food for others.  To me, this interpretation still stands in spite of these arguments.

So, that is a look at my exploration of the first tenet of martial arts.  I do genuinely encourage comments or thoughts from others on this topic.  I usually get them via email or personal message, but I enjoy a public discussion of this as well.  If you are comfortable, please feel free to do so!

Ethics in Martial Arts

I've decided that I wanted to take some time and discuss a bit about the topic of ethics in martial arts.  This will be a series of posts that have to do with the 11 tenets of martial arts from Korea.  I have written some of my black belt essays on these things in the past and re-interpreted some of them try to increase their accessibility to modern democratic culture.  Some people will disagree with my interpretations and that is very welcome.  I hope to get people thinking and talking about these topics and I hope they are as interesting for other people as they have been for me.  I think that the exploration of an ethical view is one of the things that makes us unique compared to some other martial arts schools.  In this first posting, I want to discuss the history of these tenets and how they came about.  From there, I'll be going into them and explaining why I think each one is important in martial arts.

Before I get too far into this topic, I want to offer up a bit of background information.  My first martial arts training was in Korean styles - specifically Hapkido and Taekwondo.  I started studying Kendo and Tai Chi after the first two.  While most of the Asian martial arts also draw their ethical views from Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, I am most familiar with the Korean tradition on ethics in martial arts.  That's not to say that these views are religious; these ideas are roughly translated from terms that mean "secular ethics."  The reason is because there were many different religions co-existing in these areas and it was important to find a list of ideas that could be agreed upon by everyone independent of their background.  That also doesn't mean that Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, or any other martial art lacks in ethical concepts - I just cannot speak on them because it was the Korean tradition that I was exposed to early on and have spent the most time exploring that perspective in particular.

In Korean history, there was a group of young warriors called the Hwarang.  They were taught martial arts, archery, horseback riding, and military tactics along with art and music.  The goal of creating this group was to have well educated and capable people to be the future leaders in Korean politics, military, and culture.  Predating this group was a group of women, called the Wonwha, that was very similar to the Hwarang and only lacked in military training.  Still, their code of ethics was carried into the Hwarang and was closely held to Confucius and Buddhist teachings.  These five ethical rules were:

1) To show allegiance to the king
2) To treat one's parents with respect and devotion
3) Exhibit trust and sincerity among friends
4) Never to retreat in battle
5) Exercise discretion when taking a life

These five ethical rules later were expanded to 11 and taught to early Korean martial art students.  They were expanded mostly to flesh out some of the ideas laid out in the earlier five. This served to make them more applicable to modern cultural situations.  Those were:

1) Be loyal to your country
2) Be a good son/daughter to your parents
3) Be faithful to your spouse
4) Respect your siblings
5) Be loyal to your friends
6) Respect those older than you
7) Respect your teachers
8) Never take a life unnecessarily
9) Have a strong spirit
10) Be loyal to your martial arts school
11) Always finish what you begin

When Korean martial arts came to the west, these 11 tenets were shortened to 10 and re-branded the 10 commandments of Taekwondo.  The removed tenet was to have a strong spirit.  While there is some disagreement as to why this happened, many people believe it was because training would naturally strengthen the spirit and that westerners would be able to better relate to the idea of 10 commandments from their Judeo-Christian backgrounds.

Over the course of my own study and personal reflection on these tenets, I decided that I thought it a good idea to go back to the earlier 11 tenets because I wanted to make the cultivation of an indomitable spirit a thing of which each student was conscious.  During my study, I also took issue with some of the interpretations and how each concept in the tenets was expressed.  For example, being in a democratic society has different implications than a monarchy - as well as being in an ever shrinking and interconnected world.  While I do not think myself a morally superior or inferior person, I had real issue with teaching some of these concepts according to the wording listed above.  I could not ignore those feelings in good conscience.  Still, I felt that it was very worthwhile to have these things stated so that other people could consider them and apply them in their own lives.  Since I have my own martial arts school, I felt it appropriate to interpret them and teach that interpretation to my students.  Still, it feels disingenuous not to show the path that these ideas have taken.  It is through this series of blog postings that I hope to illustrate my thinking and leave the information in the reader's hands - to teach my own controversy, so to speak.

The 11 tenets that are posting in my school the photo are in the photo below.  While the wording is mine, the design and artwork were done by Kayla Armstrong.  Here it is as a photo:

In the graphic, there is Korean writing on the top right that basically says "11 tenets of martial arts" in that language.  Korean originally read top to bottom - right to left.  It worked aesthetically to have the Korean title go that way.  At the bottom right is a phrase written in Chinese that translates to "will not bend on principle." It is common in official documents to have things written in Chinese since much of Korean's old writings were in pictographic Chinese writing.  Hangul, or modern Korean writing, has been around since the 15th century and is phonetic like English.

My next blog posting will go over the first tenet and the topic of my 3rd degree testing paper: to be loyal to the king/to be loyal to your country/to be devoted to the greater community.  For some people, this may be a little bit of a hot button issue.  Some have very strong patriotic views while others see dissent as a right and another form of patriotism all its own.  I know my attempt to have a more central view on these opinions may land me in hot water with some; I hope not.  Still, I maintain that any conversation about what is true, what is best, and what is beautiful is one worth having.  I invite everyone to check back and read the next blog entry.  I encourage discussion and debate about this openly and only ask that the reader trusts that my goal is to understand and express an ethical view that is objective and harmonious.

I push here and your nose falls off! Perspectives on Pressure Points

One very astute student at my martial arts school grabbed a copy of Black Belt Magazine the other day and found an article about pressure points.  She brought it to me and wanted my take on it.  After reading the article, I found myself trying to convey a lot of ideas to her that may not have seemed to string together very well.  In thinking this morning, I realized that it may be a good topic to blog about, since I haven't had anything occur to me that seemed worthy to type.  Anyway, I hope to be more articulate here, where we don't have the demo team out during a 2 mile run, Diane!

When I was a Hapkido student in the late 90s, my teacher was an acupuncturist.  Admittedly, I had a great deal of skepticism about it all.  I thought much of it was psychosomatic and a few inches away from being what many other martial artists referred to as "woo-woo."  Woo-woo is a nickname given to anything that smacks of mysticism or any other area that contains liberal uses of words like energy, spirit, or chi.  While I appreciate that people have all sorts of different opinions on pressure points, I prefer to stand on things that are testable and measurable in life.  Knowing this, my old teacher decided to confront my skepticism while I was in the throes of my usual twice a year head cold - let me explain.

While studying Hapkido back then, I was a full time private music teacher.  While I love the job and still do it, I basically worked in a large closet with no windows and little ventilation.  Since about a third of my music students are under the age of 18, I'm constantly having people come in with seasonal head colds.  I don't care how great a person's immune system is: if you're in a room breathing the same air as someone with a nasty head cold (or possibly multiple people in the same day), you're getting sick.  I was in the throes of one of these head colds at that time.  To add to this, I was playing in a band and had to play a gig that night in DC.  The cold was affecting my voice on top of my overall disposition.  My old teacher seized on the opportunity to give me some new insight.

Seeing me with this cold, he asked if he could treat me.  I shyly declined while trying to hide my obvious lack of faith in the field.  He insisted, and confronted my thoughts on it.  "You don't think it will work?" he asked.  I politely told him that I didn't.  He then said for me to find out for myself and to see what happened.  He poked holes on the palm side of my middle joint on my middle fingers with a sterile diabetic's needle and put alcohol on the small marks.  After that, he stood up, grabbed some tissues, and leaned against his desk with a smirk on his face.  It was about that time that it felt like someone took a wallpaper remover to the insides of my lungs and throat.  He handed me the tissues as I coughed up horrible amounts of material.  From that point on, he had my attention.

While this wasn't acupuncture in the sense of using meridians in the body, it was a traditional Korean method of dealing with illness.  Many Korean people may have memories of parents or grandparents doing the sort of thing with different levels of effectiveness.  Still, this got my attention.

Since then, I've had other brushes with traditional Korean or Chinese medicine - everything from acupuncture to herbal medicine.  Some of it worked really well and others were useless from what I could tell.  There are arguments to be made that some of that could be psychosomatic, or that the treatment was effective.

In martial arts, pressure points are used in order to cause pain or to distract someone as another technique is being executed.  There are stories about people being able to make someone lose consciousness or die from an attack on a pressure point, but I have a very high level of skepticism about this.  If those techniques were consistently effective, then they would be commonplace.  So, what then is the final result - what place do I think pressure point study should have in martial arts?

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.  I think that there may be different nerves or blood vessels to correlate to pressure points used in classical acupuncture study that may have application in martial arts.  My experience has been that someone prepared for an attack on a pressure point is far less susceptible to it.  Use of these points requires a level of accuracy that would be hard to execute against an opponent that's engaging you aggressively.  As a surprise move against someone not expecting retaliation, this would be more effective.

Should you know them?  Sure - why not.  Should you rely on them if confronted with someone actively looking to cause you harm?  Well, I think some other techniques might be better suited to that task.  While it's good to not be closed off to something that could add insight to study, it's also important not to fall into the many woo-woo traps that are all around martial arts and that annoy many modern martial arts practitioners when they think of traditional martial arts - quite reasonably, I might add.  Still, there are many things in both camps that are problematic.  Maybe, that'll be another blog entry - if anyone's interested.

Thanks for reading!

Spirituality and Martial Arts - Know your pay grade!

Many people have opinions on faith and spirituality.  With martial arts often being a very life affirming area of study, it's no wonder that these opinions find there way into people's training.  Each martial arts school has a little bit of a different view on these issues from one another.  I feel that I may have some unique perspective to add to that conversation.  I'd like to take a moment and explain my approach to these things at Han Mi and why I don't enter into it with people there.

As a martial arts student, I was often surrounded by people with different religious views than my own.  At one school, the GM of that dojang had a kind of pan-religious/theosophical view of faith.  He would talk about Jesus, Buddha, Reincarnation, and energy along with space aliens, psychics, and super human feats.  I tried to keep an open mind about it and listened politely to what was being said.  While he was conveying these ideas, I often wondered why I was having to hear this when I wanted to learn martial arts.  After some time, he began making judgments about my "spiritual level" and how I should live my personal life.   It was one of the things that eventually led to me leaving that instructor.  At another school, the GM there said "you seem like a really nice guy; what kind of Christian are you?  Where do you go to church?" to one of the other students.  In my head, I knew that this was meant as a compliment.  For my friend, all he heard was how only Christians were decent people.  Along with that second GM's questionable opinions on minorities and how he treated his students overall, I feel that his insensitivity motivated me not work with that him any longer.  While the relationship between me and these other schools that I used to work with is more complex than any one issue, one consistent theme was the instructor's injection of religion into school environment.  It often had a polarizing and fragmentary effect on me and some of the other students.

Some of my friends own martial arts schools and they like to put inspirational quotes from religious texts on emails, Facebook statuses, and other school related materials.  When reaching out to other Hapkido schools and federations in the past, they included religious quote on their promotional materials.  While I respect their right to do so and their passions for those beliefs, it is something I simply won't do.  I'm of the opinion that this kind of thing is reaching too far into the personal lives of the students.

The reason is simple: I'm a martial arts instructor.  While I have my own opinions about religion and what some people refer to as spirituality, I see no need to proselytize to students.  We are surrounded by churches, mosques, synagogues, and all other places of worship along with an online world full of these ideas.  If someone is curious, it isn't hard for them to look up any religion and go from there.  I have no interest in being any kind of guru or spiritual leader.  I do not want to sway or control those aspects of people's lives.  It feels inappropriate to me.

Is there a place for spirituality in martial arts study?  Absolutely.  However, I don't think it is spirituality in the manner many people are accustomed to thinking - one that even the faithless can rest easy with, I think.  Spirituality, in my mind, is defined as the harmony between the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of a person.  That may seem an odd use of that word; when thinking of spirituality, many people think of what comes from a book, or prayers, or mantra.  Maybe, these are two different things being attributed to the same word and this is a lacking within the English language.  However, I think that a person's overall psychological well-being is vitally important and makes many other things possible.  A person with this kind of quality can see clearly and have understanding in much the same way a compound microscope works when all the lenses are focused and working together.  Allow me to expand on this.

If a person says he loves his country but then beats his wife, he does not actually know love.  How can someone know love if they are violent to the people that trust them?  If someone says they love peace and yet create division in people around them by judgments or gossip, then they don't know peace.  How would they know peace if they have no compassion in them?  If someone is insecure, then they will crave control over others.  We see this in the abusive relationships between people as much as the abusive relationships in some governments abroad.  The need to control will cause conflict.  When someone sees themselves as below another, then that person will not feel empowered and will not live up to their potential and obligations - there will be disharmony.  If left without introspection, the abused will have the potential to become an abuser themselves.  In keeping with these thoughts; one can see also that it is impossible to love what you fear - even though people try to mix the two every day.  Take a wife that loves her husband but is constantly jealous.  Isn't that jealousy just fear of rejection?  If that fear is left without question, won't it interfere with the rapport in that relationship?  If someone sees that fear and love can't be combined and that person has love, then the jealousy will be addressed and treated like the poison it is.  These qualities are what I'm calling spirituality - matters of a person's spirit.

Spirituality, in this context, is more about unification psychologically and physically rather than an issue of faith.  I'm sure some may argue about the use of "spirituality" to what I am describing and that's fine.  While people may prefer another word, needing this inward unification in order to be a healthy person is a fact - like gravity and light.  I use the word spirituality because these things deal with the spirit of a person - their quality of being.  We can all come up with another word and I'd be fine with it.  To my understanding, it as an appropriate word.  In any case, the next natural question is to wonder what martial arts has to do with any of this.

Martial arts address these issues very directly.  In sparring for example, there are no illusions about what is going on.  While we operate with certain agreed upon rules to maintain safety, the goal of martial arts training is to learn how to defend yourself against another person - even in the sport styles.  We take great care to minimize risk and have no tolerance for people that don't adhere to safe behavior.  Still, tapping or scoring a point in sparring means that serious injury would have happened in an actual combat situation.  So, there is trust that has to be developed in the school.  People become very close and have to learn to communicate with each other very sincerely.  In doing that, people learn how to untie the knots of fear, self-delusion, and egotism.  We push each other to improve and, even though it can be frustrating, thank a person for helping us to find spots in our training where we can improve.  We do this while strengthening our bodies with exercise and physical conditioning while strengthening our minds with strategy, observation, and technical conditioning.  If someone lacks in this psychological unification (is fearful, confused, easily surprised or distracted), then it will come out in the training.  They will be angry, easily made insecure, timid, arrogant, narrow-minded, and exhibit all other kinds of dysfunctional behavior.  In the mirror of relationship with the other students, we all have to face those inner demons and conquer them when they show themselves.  When a person learns how to deal with these things on the mat, then that new understanding permeates through their entire lives.

If you think about it, you can imagine the qualities that would arise from this kind of study.  A person that has gone through this process becomes smoother, less quick to anger, more subtle in behavior and in observation, more allowing of different views, and more understanding of other people's situations.  This is the very reason why I am a martial arts instructor - besides the fact that I enjoy martial arts, of course.  In being an instructor, I am the head of a school.  I see a parallel in the macro and micro - between the school as a whole and each individual student.

Because of this parallel view, I do not want to put my religious views out for students to see.  My personal views on religion could cause fragmentation and a lack of unity in the school - with the same equally corrosive effects as a lack of unity in a person can have.  I am interested in teaching the things that were discussed earlier and not anything more.  If those things have been conveyed - not to be controlled by fear, not to be isolated, not to be without options, to question and explore, and to be a whole unified person, then the other things planted in that soil will do just fine.  I keep to that religiously, if you'll pardon the pun.

What do I say when someone says Merry Christmas?  I respond and say Merry Christmas in return knowing that they are celebrating the birth of Jesus and time with family.  During Passover, I realize that our Jewish students are celebrating the Israelites freedom from Egyptian rule.  During Ramadan, I realize that my Muslim students won't be as active in the school because they are fasting in order to bring their life's focus back to god.  Hindu students will be having great Diwali celebrations right before Thanksgiving and I always hope to get great vegetarian food out of it.  Pagan students enjoy Solstice gatherings and playful jibs from me about going Skyclad.  And, yes, even the the Atheists get a playful smile as they celebrate Aluminum, the lack of tinsel, and great 90s humor from shows about nothing on the 23rd.  We accept everyone that respects hard work, growth, and this social agreement we all have with each other that I like to refer to as civilization. 

So, enjoy your holidays.  Go about your faith with passion and sincerity.  If you want to wish me something kind from your tradition, I will be grateful and humbled that you thought of me at all.  Just know that my lack of religious expression is not a rejection of yours.  I want to welcome everyone to Han Mi and I want them to feel at home.  I work hard to keep us a unified community inside of the school so that our students know how to be that outside.  That's my job - along with the kicking, striking, wrestling, and yelling while wearing comfortable clothing.

My Eagle Claw is superior to your Dragon Fist! The arguments over style...

My school is in a small town that has 3 other established schools within a few hundred feet of us.  They all teach different styles - some teach variations on Korean martial arts like Tang Soo Do while others teach Brazilian JuJitsu, Muy Thai, Krav Maga, or any other number of styles.  Some of these styles consider themselves traditional while others consider themselves modern.  My experience tells me that most instructors are probably secretly convinced that they have the answer to what is truly martial arts.  I get asked often what my opinions are on the different styles being taught.

First, I want to say how much I genuinely respect anyone passionate (or insane) enough to start a martial arts school.  While plenty of other jobs are tougher, I can say that this job is challenging.  A martial arts instructor is expected to have expertise in their art while being a positive force to the people around them.  Since there is a group of people involved, you have to always balance of the good of the group with the each individual's needs.  You have to balance what is correct and what has integrity while trying to make a lot of people happy and run a business.  An instructor could scare, intimidate, or seem unfriendly to someone without realizing it.  In spite of that, I love what I do and feel that I share something uniquely in common with other school owners. Please, realize while reading this; I am not critiquing any other school or style here.

Still, many other instructors are convinced that what they teach is the answer to the big question:  What is the best style to use for self-defense?  Sometimes, they'll see an MMA match and think that this is the ultimate way.  Other times, they'll get exposed to military training and think that this is best.  Many others are convinced that the old ways are the most effective and that there's no reason to re-examine the past with a critical eye.  There are so many opinions about this topic - is there an answer?

When I was a Hapkido student, I was encouraged to read something called the Tao Te Ching.  It is a philosophical text about the nature of reality.  The first chapter roughly translates to say in English that the way that can be expressed is not the ultimate way.  I spent some time pondering this and I think it means that the moment an answer is expressed that it becomes imperfect.  That's not to say that 2 + 2 will equal 5 next week; rather, that reality is always changing and moving around.  Life is not as simple as that math problem - from moment to moment, there are different forces that are at work in the world.  Any answer to a problem often will not be correct in a different time or context.  Let's apply this idea to the question at hand.

The person that comes to the question with the answer of MMA has a pretty good answer.  Mixed Martial Arts deals with striking, grabs from a stand, and wrestling.  Still, MMA is a sport with rules.  Certain techniques are off limits and real life could have weapons or obstacles.  While the mixture of these disciplines is very worthwhile and interesting, it isn't going to be the ultimate answer to how to defend yourself.

Military training like Krav Maga or Marine Corps Martial Arts is also very effective.  However, the goal of such training is very different than other martial arts.  It is developed around the idea that you will have friends coming in behind you.  If a person in a squad is tasked with clearing a building and they're the first person into a room with two bad guys, then that person's goal is to kill one bad guy before the other kills them.  That way, the friend behind them has a chance to subdue the other bad guy, complete the mission, and continue to fight another day.  While this kind of training is vital for the military and shows great courage for self-sacrifice, those goals aren't appropriate for day to day life as a civilian.  Take the case of a mugging; it would be less traumatic for the martial artist to hand over a wallet rather than deal with the ethical dilemma of killing someone over a few dollars.  That sort of hypothetical scenario may tickle the ego, but people that have experienced having to end another life will tell you that there's nothing to cheer about when it happens.  Needless to say, deadly force isn't always necessary and there is a broader spectrum of answers in real life that could be better.

Traditional martial arts aren't always the answer either.  Some older styles have such rich histories that they stop looking at what new understandings we have in modern times.  Some styles train that when both people end up on the floor, you should stop and start again from a standing position.  Yet, life clearly doesn't do this.  Other styles still study things like throwing stars, nunchaku, sword, or sai.  While these studies often have a great deal to teach us about martial arts, people don't use these weapons anymore.  Reality is always changing and growing; are all of those answers still good answers?

The originator of IHF Hapkido was a gentleman named Myung Jae Nam.  He was a Korean man who was interested in spreading his view of Hapkido to the world and worked to develop study methods to help the Korean police force.  All of us in IHF Hapkido are directed to never speak ill of others styles of martial arts.  Courtesy and respect should be paid to these other thoughts because they all have their weight.  In some context, they are all useful.  That's why we are also taught to be humble because reality is too big for anyone know in its entirety.

So, who should we follow?

Initially, follow whatever grabs your attention as sincere.  Listen closely to whatever answers they have.  Know whatever answer they have is not the only answer, but listen and study it anyway.  If it turns out you are being taught something false, you will find out as you explore it and apply it in practice.  Sometimes, you will have trouble making a technique work that someone else can do effortlessly.  That doesn't make the technique or the style wrong; it just makes all of us human.  Study and find out.  Reality has a great way of sorting out what is true and what is not.  You're going to learn something regardless of what you study assuming you study with passion, curiosity, and sincerity.

So, the answer to the big question?  It's to become aware and sensitive to the world around you, train your body to be strong and conditioned to act, and then let your intelligence dictate the course of action.  If you find someone skillful, work with that person.  Learn all you can.  Grow and realize that there is no final answer.  Rather, that the martial artist is engaged in a constant conversation with the world around them.  In the end, we have to accept that there is no ultimate answer and that anyone peddling an ultimate answer is either selling something false or has never really been challenged to see their own fallibility.

Have the conversation for yourself.

Confidence, Attention, and Discipline - NOW ON SALE!!

A few days ago, my school competed in a Taekwondo tournament.  These are always a little stressful for students, but a lot of fun.  The stress comes from the pressure to compete and do your best.  The fun comes from seeing so many other talented martial artists and cheering for the other students.  For those of us that have gone to a few of these, it's a good excuse to see friends that we haven't seen in awhile and to have an opportunity to meet new ones.  While watching some of the people compete, it is common to see school names and wonder where they are from - some are small clubs that are close-by, while others are from very far away.  Someone always gets out their phone and looks the other dojangs up to see where they are from and what they study specifically.

On the websites, we see the full range of marketing.  Everything from the humble and simple to the boisterous and braggadocious.  Some put up pricing and a direct matter-of-fact listing on what they do.  Others say how they are the best and have flashy sites.  There are some common things claimed by all of them, however.  Most schools will claim to help kids and adults have better discipline, more confidence, and to be more attentive.  While it is true that many people do have these things after martial arts study, it seems worthwhile to explore how someone teaches another to have better discipline, increased self-confidence, and better attention.  Is that possible?  What is the method for doing this?  Are martial arts classes uniquely suited to addressing these issues?

People that have studied martial arts or music with me for a long time know that I have developed an interest in word definition.  I picked it up from my old teacher, Todd Strandberg.  Long explorations about words like "should", "confidence", "attention", and "discipline" are often tolerated by close friends and colleagues because I'm convinced there is something to pull from doing it.  While I've never gotten the hang of cutting to the heart of such a thing quickly like Todd does, I think I can do the topic some justice.  If you have the patience for it, I encourage anyone to take time and consider the words we use every day.  It may surprise you what you're actually saying.

People often come to my school and tell me they want to take classes to help them with their self-discipline.  It is something I have always found interesting; what does someone mean by that?  As a martial arts and music student, I never once thought about having to have discipline.  If my teachers taught me something, I just seemed to work on it - in the car, at the dinner table, as I was falling asleep.  I love these things and I do them the same way someone plays a video game or watches an interesting movie.  What is self-discipline?

The same was true of confidence.  As a small child, I was painfully shy with new people.  The moment I got to know someone, I would open up very quickly.  As I got older, I realized that I had some talent and that some people would find that interesting.  I learned that I could trust myself to get things done most of the time if I just worked and did it.  No one set out to give me self-confidence and, in some cases, people were concerned that I was too sure of myself as a teenager.  Still, I always think that success is possible and I'm willing to give it a go if the possible failure isn't too costly.

Along these same lines was attention.  I have a solid nerd streak and I find most anything interesting on some level.  No one had to tell me to pay attention in classes.  I just did it because it was interesting.  Unfortunately, some school teachers had to see what a young Matt Thompson did if the lessons weren't interesting, but I wasn't malicious and could easily be brought around if the teacher showed their own care for the topic.  Still, I never had a problem being attentive in music or martial arts studies.  Since I don't think myself a terribly unique person - why was my childhood so different that I didn't need to be taught these things?

In reflecting on it, I think these words are being used incorrectly.  When someone says they want to develop self-discipline, I often think what they really mean is "please teach me how to force myself to do the things I don't want to do."  This is an incorrect approach, to my way of thinking.  It is fragmentary in its nature, because the person is in conflict with themselves and they want you to help them listen to one half over the other.  The problem is the fragmentation.  When someone says they want to have more confidence, I think they are really saying "I want to assume I can do things that I don't know for sure I can do."  This is also fragmentary because the fear of not being able to do something reflects the ignorance the person has about the task at hand.  The fragmentation, again, is the issue.  When someone says they want to have better attention, I often think what they really mean is "I want you to teach me to pay attention to things I actually don't care about."  If something is important to you, then you will listen.  There is fragmentation because there is conflict between what the person wants to do versus what the person feels guilty ignoring.  Again, the problem is the person being divided inwardly.

So then, how can martial arts study help in these issues?

If a martial arts school's instructors understand these issues thoroughly, then they actually don't try to teach these things.  Instead, they will teach their students that their attention, time, and hard work will change things around them.  When someone feels like what they do, think about, and pay attention to influences the way that things unfold around them, then that person is empowered.  It's like finding out you have an arm that you never realized you could use before.  Naturally, the person having this experience will wonder how far they can take it.  From being empowered, they become curious and playful.  When someone is curious, they listen because they want to understand what is happening.  From that curiosity comes the disciplined mind - a mind that studies and is attentive.  From that attention, empowerment, and study comes the recognition that they can have an influence on the way things around them unfold and that success is possible.  That is the healthy kind of confidence over the false illusion of being better than other people.  From this cycle, the person begins to see their own talents and interests and begins to own their own life - all the outcomes, possibilities, and responsibilities.  This is the constant conversation between the individual and the environment we call attention or awareness.

If a school doesn't understand this, then they will falsely inflate the student.  This person will walk around with an incorrect understanding of their own abilities.  This student will get occasional hints that their skill is shoddy and their insecurity will make them over-protective, fearful, and insular.  They may have confidence, but they will crash the moment they are tested.  They will fear the greatest teacher I've ever had: failure.  They will not be whole people; they will be hollow in my way of thinking and will have to learn these skills in spite of their martial arts study rather than from it.

Is martial arts study uniquely suited for this?  Not at all - I found the exact same things true for my music students or students of anything else.  The trick is to find something you enjoy and to pour yourself completely into it.  Find out how far it goes.  Learn how to overcome the difficulties in its study.  Apply yourself to the topic over time.  Take smart risks and learn from failure.  If someone studies in this way, they'll be more than attentive, confident, or disciplined.  They will be engaged human beings that will accomplish whatever it is that is important in their lives.

... and they may win a few trophies along the way, too.

A music and martial intersection

While I haven't spoken too much about it on this blog, I am also a fairly experienced musician.  Prior to opening Han Mi Martial Arts, I taught music full time as a private instructor in Frederick, MD.  I still do it today, but only part time.  Often, people are surprised that I teach music when they know me as a martial arts teacher.  The same goes for music students when they hear about Han Mi.  In my mind, there are many parallels.  I wanted to take a moment and explore a few.

As a musician, I tend to look at things on three levels when playing.  I have to be aware of what my hands (or hands and feet if we're talking drum set) are doing technically.  At the same time, there has to be a mental awareness - key signature, time signature, chord structure for improvisation, and all the other math that goes into it.  Along with those two, I need to be aware of what is happening artistically - what the emotional texture is at the moment.  All three of these things need to exist in order for anything to be played sincerely or correctly.  Without both levels of awareness along with execution, we'll either have silence, disorganization, or overly dry playing. 

For technique, a player has to cultivate the conditioned responses that go into being a capable musician.  Guitarists, Bassists, and percussionists need to practice scales, arpeggios, and general dexterity that is required to play the instrument and a purely physical level.  Drummers learn all their rudiments and sticking techniques along with proper bass drum technique for their feet.  You can understand the technique, but a conditioned response is needed in order to make that technique as common as picking up a cup.  Martial artists are precisely the same way; if I want to defend myself intelligently, I cannot fumble around trying to think my way through a side kick, sword strike, or a block.  The body requires repetition in order to make that technique as easy to execute as it is to say the word "hello" in language.  If the intellect is bogged down trying to think through execution, then you aren't able to engage the situation fully.  In music, it means studdering; in martial arts, it means executing slowly and imprecisely - possibly giving the other person an advantage.  Neither is acceptable.

Intellectually, musicians have to be aware of the non-tangible parts of the music.  If we are talking about pitched instruments, awareness of key signature, chord structure, and melody are vital to be able to improvise or to play a passage intelligently.  Having this understanding allows for written music to be read quickly without hesitation and allows for intelligent improvisation to even be possible.  Drummers need to know which sticking and rudimentary techniques to employ to convey the phrase and keep the rhythmic flow uninterrupted.  Martial arts has the same kinds of considerations; one must be aware of the reach of oneself as well as the opponent.  In grappling, understanding of the weight distribution and the center of gravity make it possible to control the other person's body independent of their will.  In Kendo, being aware of small movements in the body and sword can cue an opponent's intention on the timing and location of an attack - similarly in Taekwondo.  The awareness of angle, leverage, and the patterns in an opponent's movements give a clue as to how to build a tactic for dealing with that person's size, skill, and intention.

The artistic aspects are where I tend to lose people.  In music, the artistic elements are the reason why people play.  Music makes us feel a certain way and we are drawn to it even as beginners.  The beauty, the sadness, and the intensity of music reaches across culture and is obvious for anyone with ears that is open to such an experience.  Martial artists have to be a bit more subtle in their awareness for this to be understood.  Obviously, martial arts exists to enrich and protect the practitioner.  Martial arts are our way to adapt to the world - by helping us to exercise and stay healthy as well as giving us tools to deal with someone that wants to hurt us.  A martial artist considers the attack and the attacker - the intention is paramount.  While we want to succeed, we express that in context.  In competition, we use the appropriate amount of force to win while staying within the rules.  In self-defense, we use the appropriate amount of force without being abusive.  The skill of the attacker or the presence of a weapon influences to harshness of the response.  While some think it appropriate to be as lethal as possible in all situations, they tend to be less aware of the greater forces at work in the world.  A drunk person bar hopping and being obnoxious need not be met with the same force as someone that is sober behaving aggressively with a weapon in a premeditated attack.  While we each have the right to go home at night, we need to balance that with not being hateful.  Martial art is the expression of love we each have for our own lives and of the well-being of our communities.  When a martial artist understands this, then that person treats everyone with kindness - even the people that might not deserve it.  Peace is best, but we have tools to deal with people that don't respect this value and act violently towards others.

So, music and martial arts do have many parallels within them.  While the outward manifestations may be different, the inward processes are surprisingly similar.  Both are expressions of the joy of living.  While one revels in tension, the other seeks to resolve it - but the differences are only in that expression.  It is worth mentioning tangentially that while martial arts strives for peace and balance, it is important to at least mention the need for the mind of a martial artist to be peaceful in order for them to have any hope of rendering peace outwardly.  That, however, can be blogged about another day.