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Okinawa 2024

I’ve been back for a few days now and have had a chance to decompress and get over most of the jet lag, getting some time to gather my thoughts on my experience in Okinawa.

In short, it was amazing and it turned into a trip that I wasn’t completely expecting. After visiting Japan so many times over the last 13 years Okinawa was refreshingly different.

A contrasting island vibe compared to the mainland’s well structured and extremely organised, punctual-to-the-second atmosphere, it didn’t take long to get used to the relaxed nature of things and taking my time to get around or do anything.Travelling solo for the first week and then accompanied by my friend and dedicated student Martin Lawrence made the experience all the more enjoyable.

A training holiday mostly so visiting the sites wasn’t a huge priority, although I did get to see a few places. The beaches were nice and the tourist trap of American Village was the cheese fest of trinkets and toot that I thought it would be.

What was powerful for me was visiting the historical sights of Hacksaw Ridge and Nakagusuku Castle and of course the Haka and memorial sites of Chojun Miyagi, the founder of Goju Ryu Karate, his teacher Kanryo Higaonna and one of Miyagi’s successors Meitoku Yagi.

Training was hot, sweaty and varied as much I expected it to be, and I was warmly welcomed to each dojo that I went to visit, bringing “omiyage” (souvenirs) from home as a gesture of thanks to each instructor for allowing me to train.

Attending multiple sessions at each dojo which gave me a small insight to their dojo culture and what type of atmosphere they had.

In no particular order, these are the dojos I had the pleasure of visiting:

  • Meibukan: Akihito Yagi Sensei, 8th Dan
  • OGKK: Norihiko Masuda Sensei, 7th Dan
  • Asato Dojo: James Pankiewicz Sensei, 5th Dan & Andrea Klementisová Sensei, 5th Dan
  • Jundokan: Tetsu Gima Sensei, 9th Dan & Tsuneo Kinjo Sensei, 9th Dan
  • IKO: Tetsuhiro Hokama Hanshi, 10th Dan
  • TOGKF: Morio Higaonna Sensei, 10th Dan

In addition, I also had the pleasure of getting reacquainted with Patrick McCarthy Hanshi, 10th Dan, founder of Koryu Uchinadi and the International Ryukyu Karate Research Society (IRKRS) at his home after having not seen each other in about 15 years. We spoke about many things and I look forward to having more in depth discussions in the future.

I have to say a huge thank you to Dan Antonsen (Meibukan) and Kieran Budd (Hokama Dojo) for assisting and arranging some of the training and sightseeing, and to George Andrews Sensei and Tony Green Sensei for their help with arranging training at the TOGKF and Jundokan, it all added to the incredible experience.

One part of the trip that I wasn’t sure how it was going to go was seeing everyone from Seiwakai, the association that I had been a part of for over 16 years. I was relieved that with almost everyone I saw it was full of smiles and happiness. Inundated with hugs and hearty handshakes, telling each other how good it was to see them, how long it had been and how much we missed being around each other in this wonderful karate environment that always brought us together to strengthen our bonds of friendship.

Sadly there was some negativity from a minority of individuals who put on a facade with me when others were around and were contrastingly different in private, trying to assert their authority over me where they no longer had any, which reinforced that I’d made the right decision back in March. Fortunately it was the only part that could sour the trip and it was washed out by the overwhelming amount of positivity that surrounded everything.

Overall, seeing everyone gave me a sense of closure and relief. I was sad and I will mourn that I won’t get to spend the same time with my brethren in the dojo like we used to, but I’ll put my efforts into staying in touch and maintaining the friendships with the ones who wish to stay connected.

I was asked a number of questions about why I left and what I’m going to do, but one of them sticks with me as I don’t feel that I got to answer the person properly at the time. They asked me this:

“I know what you’re moving away from, but what are you moving to?”

This was a great question as it was something I’d been trying to work out in the lead up to and after departing a few months ago.

For many years I’ve been seeking a balance of tradition and modern, finding the old ways and applying them to the new, developing technical ability, precision and understanding and connecting it with practical skills and applications that work on a realistic level. I’ve had an affinity for the Japanese technicality and Okinawan practicality so for these reasons and more, I’ve sought knowledge from multiple instructors as in my experience over the last 27 years as a karateka, no single person or system has all the answers.

If I choose to join another association in the future it will depend on how closely they align with my interests, standards, morals and ethics. I’ll do my due diligence and research before making a decision either way but I’m not in any rush.

My priority now and always is to ensure that the development, progression and future opportunities for my students remains steadfast and continues for many years to come.

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Dealing With Disappointment

It’s never a nice feeling to be told that you’re not ready for a grading, especially when you feel that you have worked hard towards it. But for all of us, there will be a time when we have to deal with disappointment. It may be having to miss an event that you’ve been looking forward to for months, or being told you’re not ready to grade, and how you handle that disappointment will either help or hinder you.

Speaking with a few students recently I’ve been impressed by the attitudes from some who handled the moment of being told they’re not ready with a positive mindset.

Some said that they already knew that they weren’t ready and were relieved to not been put forward. Others asked what they need to work on to ensure that they are ready for next time. All of them accepted the decision with humility and respect.

In the past I’ve had both students and parents berate or argue with me for not putting them forward, as if it was an automatic right deserved by them. Some have quit because they were told they weren’t ready yet, which just reinforced that the decision was correct in the first place.

One of my own experiences of disappointment below is to show that it’s not what happens to us, but how we deal with these things that matters most.

In 2011, a couple of years after joining a new association I was preparing for my 4th Dan grading test, which also coincided with my very first trip to Japan. I’d spent all year saving up for both the trip and the test fee and many months in the lead up putting in all the hours I could, training hard and getting extra sessions with my Sensei to ensure success. I felt about as ready as I could be, and the feedback I was getting from him and my other instructors were all positive. I was on track and looking ready to pass.

The test was to be at the end of the 6 days of intense training in the unforgiving heat and humidity of the Japanese summer in Omagari. But at the end of day 4, I was pulled aside and told by my Sensei that I wasn’t allowed to test for 4th Dan, and that I would retest for 3rd Dan instead. I was devastated!

After all of the time and preparation, the reassurance by him and my other instructors that I was ready, spending thousands of pounds in training, plus the additional costs of flights, hotels and time away from my family, I couldn’t test for the grade I was expecting to.

Was I disappointed? Of course!

Was I upset, angry and bitter? Yes, absolutely, and for a long time after I returned home too.

Did I let it stop me? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

I continued to train from the very next day with the same level of intensity, discipline and focus, and I took the alternative test which simply ratified the grade I already had, but now it was officially recognised by the new association. I accepted this moment as a bump in the road, taking a detour that would slow things down but it wouldn’t stop me on my journey.

I eventually passed my 4th Dan in 2015, oddly enough on my 4th trip to Japan.

Sometimes we have to “eat bitter” at some point either in karate or at another part of our lives, be that at school, work, with friends, family or at home. It’s never pleasant, but take it like it’s medicine. Don’t leave it in your mouth where all you get is the horrible taste sitting there. Swallow it as quickly as possible and then let it help you.

So when the time comes to test for your next grade, good luck, but be prepared to deal with the disappointment of failing. Handle it like a true martial artist and get straight back in the dojo.

Richard Hang Hong

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Competition and Karate

Competition and Karate

Caroline Hang Hong

Karate; it’s a sport isn’t it?

It’s a fair question, after all karate definitely provides exercise; training increases our heart rate and makes us sweat, builds muscle and pushes our flexibility and endurance. It also demands increasing amounts of skill which is honed over time. Surely all this defines karate as a sport?

Let’s have a look at some definitions of the noun ‘sport’:

The Oxford English Dictionary –  an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment

 

The Cambridge English Dictionary – a game, competition, or activity needing physical effort and skill that is played or done according to rules, for enjoyment and/or as a job

 

Collins Dictionary – games such as football and basketball and other competitive leisure activities which need physical effort and skill

 

The Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) (previously Sport Accord) is the umbrella organization for all international sports federations, and has developed a definition of sport to determine whether an applicant federation qualifies as an international sports federation. The GAISF’s definition of sport contains 5 points. Number 1 is:

  1. The sport proposed should include an element of competition

 

All definitions agree that a sport contains an element of competition, with the GAISF placing this last element at the top of its list of definitions.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines sport more specifically as competition for entertainment. The entertainment element is also backed up through this interesting article by Leigh Steinberg for Forbes magazine entitled ‘What Defines a Sport’ https://www.forbes.com/sites/leighsteinberg/2018/07/28/what-defines-a-sport/

So, looking at karate, yes it requires both physical effort and skill but does it contain the element of competition for entertainment?

It can, but then it becomes something different; sport karate.

Sport karate can be defined by the fact that the ultimate goal is to enter and win competitions in the public arena, and in this is it massively different from traditional karate. Most students who have seen or trained in both types of karate will understand that they are different in a number of ways.

Sport kumite has a specific set of rules that must be followed, it is dynamic in its movements, restricted in its techniques and levels of contact, and most importantly there is a clear scoring system to allow competitors to be judged against each other and ultimately decide who is ‘best’.

 

Sport kata allows the student to practice a wide variety of kata beyond their grade. Emphasis is on esthetics over practicality or understanding, some techniques are altered or exaggerated, and timings are formalized to add drama to the performance. In depth understanding of bunkai is not required, and if bunkai is included the emphasis is again on showcasing athletic ability over practicality.

 

 

Traditional karate by comparison is relatively solitary, low key, introspective, private, and personal. Progress is slow and steady.

In acknowledging these differences it occurred to me that an element of sport karate can quietly crossover to the dojo and traditional karate where it does not belong.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘competition as – ‘The activity or condition of striving to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others’.

Defeating others’: This idea has no place in the traditional karate dojo. When you train with others, you strive to improve both them and yourself, when you spar others, you are not trying to keep score or ‘win’, you are using their movements as a learning tool to increasingly understand your own actions and limitations. When you train in kata you focus not on making it look prettier than others, but increasing your own understanding of the techniques and how your body moves effectively.

‘Superiority over others’: Could we be talking about the hierarchy; the grading system? A particular belt colour does not denote you as ‘superior’ or ‘inferior’ to others, it simply demonstrates you have attained an understanding and skill level deemed appropriate for that stage of training, it does not make you Superman or Wonder Woman, it simply marks a point in your transition from one level of understanding to another.

You should always strive to emulate the behaviors of the grade above you, but not to compete with them. Learn what they have learned, and if you occasionally accomplish something they cannot, don’t congratulate yourself too much as this can lead to over confidence, or a feeling of superiority, which reduces your ability to learn.

In turn you should always be respectful and open to lower grades, and understand they are moving towards the accomplishment of what you have just learned. Do not be threatened by this and compete with them because that will make you look back, not forward, which is guaranteed to slow your learning.

We may recognize some of these examples of what competition in the dojo looks like.

An Instructor who is in competition with his/her students may spar them a little too roughly, may belittle struggles or difficulties. They may restrict contact with other clubs or avoid official grading routes for themselves through fear of failure.

An instructor who is in competition with other clubs may grade their own students too quickly, or publicly criticize other instructors and their students.

Students who are in competition with their instructor may resist instruction beyond their own understanding, they may argue in class, they may share derogatory opinions about teaching ability with other students, and they question their instructor’s assessment of grading eligibility for themselves and fellow students.

Students who are in competition with fellow students may spar peers or lower grades roughly and cause upset or injuries, may express derogatory opinions about fellow students, may react negatively when someone grades before them.

Students who are in competition with themselves may get overly angry when they encounter difficulty, and may resist exercises they find difficult over exercises they find naturally easy, they may lack confidence in their own skills, and they may eventually talk themselves out of training altogether.

 

During my 19 years of training I have seen all of these competitive behaviors; some I have seen in myself, especially during my early training years.

Ask yourself who you are competing with in your karate class. Competition is part of our culture and has many uses in the right setting. But in the dojo, in a traditional setting, we should be mindful of moments when competition creeps in, and make it part of our training to change ‘The activity or condition of striving to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others’, to ‘the activity of striving to learn from and with others’.

At the beginning of each class we ask our fellow students to ‘please teach me’, not ‘please let me win’.

Traditional karate cultivates mindfulness, emotional growth and social consciousness; elements it has in common with Yoga, meditation, philosophy and volunteering in the community. Can you imagine a tournament for competitive mindfulness? Exactly, it has no place there. Enjoy competing in the ring, but keep it out of the dojo.

Caroline Hang Hong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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