The force of Spirit that perfects

Scott middleton sensei April 2019, Halmstad Sweden

  As some of my friends already know I attended a training camp with Scott Middleton sensei of the WTKO this weekend he is an awesome instructor, so knowledgable, crafted, detailed, intense and really knows how to draw a class out of themselves. Encouraging us to sincerely to do our best and step up to the challenges that he throws at us. When I trained with him last year I remember being greatly relieved that he unapologetically pushed the class to capacity in order to make people dig deep and shine. He does this with great skill and balance...and fun of course, at times this weekend I felt like a kid again.

This got me thinking about another aspect of martial arts that was heavily pushed in the '80s and '90s and it was pushed to such an extreme that I think it ultimately was a detriment to the health. By the age of 16 I was in continuous pain, couldn't sit down for more than 20 minutes, I was hungry all the time and obviouslöy dehydrated. One class I remember particularly, I was about 15 years old, we were working on kumite and the floor was dirty and grippy...bounce, bounce back and forth with various techniques we went. Up and down the floor, full on, full force all the way, all in... as it always was then, with no balance only fire. It was called 'budo spirit'. After about an hour of this session and I came to a final technique in a long line of techniques bam bam Kiai!! and I slipped up and landed on my butt. I slipped because the soles of my feet blistered off. AND then, what did I do? I carried on...Dumb, in many ways? Yes, did I feel proud that I persevered? Yes. Does this make it right? You decide.

Fast forward 20 years later to the south of Sweden, April 2019, where suddenly my level of understanding about the expression of spirit and what it meant deepened and went to the top of my list for emphasising in myself and those I coach, along with posture, feet, stance, intention, and breath. The total necessity of expression of spirit stood out and shone as I watched the black belt grading that happened during this weekend on Saturday. This is from my FB account of the mindblowing demonstration of the arising of spirit. 

On Saturday there was a black belt grading. There were 4 testing. There was obviously a lot of nerves and they had to get up and start there test with Kata...😲 it was VERY tough, their nerves completely inhibited them from 'shining' Scott Sensei kept on and on at them and wouldn't let them off. Asking questions and pushing them, demanding that they do better...well, as the test progressed the participants fighting spirit started to shine, more and more. As this process happened the techniques, stances, power got better and better...at the beginning of there was no way they looked ready for black belt by the end of the test they were black belts. Their level went through the roof.

Not in the extreme though.

As you have already read in my account of a typical class in the 80's and 90's it was seriously questionable and there is A LOT of very bad coaching practises out there (I suspect that there still is). Allowing ourselves to be subject to someone else's stupidity, ego and simply hurting people is a matter of self-esteem issues, setting up boundaries in ourselves and being brave enough to take a pause to stand up and say quite simply, 'No'. The problem is that this type of challenge often happens in front of a lot of people so it takes an extra push of bravery and commitment because we may, in our minds stand to lose a lot...but in reality we only gain and strengthen ourselves as well as giving others the opportunity and power to say no too. I understand that this would be almost impossible for a beginner to do, and as they become indoctrinated they too will accept 'bad' coaching. It's up to us as experienced adults to be clear about all this and develop a strong culture of good coaching practises and respect.

What I loved about Scott Sensei approach was his balance in this. There were moments when we were focusing on details, studying and moving with great care and consciousness, then were times to press all in and do the technique with 'Speed and power' as he would say, allowing the possibility of chaos and a deeper expression of ourselves to shine. And this chance was only available in very short bursts of 4-10 times before we moved on to the next subject.

From now on, at the appropriate time, I will ask for the techniques to be done with 'Spirit' and speed and power. On Monday I experimented with my class and explained what I had seen during the weekend. I set up the training so that we could work with the expression of spirit becoming the icing on the cake...the results were tremendous!! As soon as there was an understanding of spirit and letting it shine through one's movements everything that the students did went up a level, their stance, position, posture and passion shone. Osu!

Photo by Sourav Mishra from Pexels

Stand back

I realise that we all have different coaching techniques that work for us, that we draw on from our favorite bag of tools and that we use to help us explain and demonstrate the intricacies of our art. I feel strongly that we need to have the best interests of our students at heart as well as the path that we are teaching, keeping it safe and intact. As with all skills, there is only so much that can be read about it, the real transmission happens one to one and it is the skill of this that obsesses me regularly and what I will be discussing today.

 Instructing, being a 'sensei', is a responsibility, a lot can go wrong and we can do way more harm than possibly imagined to the people that trust us to teach and nurture them and to the children that parents put in our care. Image the damage that we could do if we kept teaching karate like it was taught in the '80s and '90s! I enjoyed this time I was empowered by it, but was it good for my body, no! Was it probably shorting my life span and causing me a lot of pain, YES absolutely! It is up to us as coaches/senseis to stay up to date, open and evolutionary in our approach and to be humble life long learners ourselves. 

I regularly ask myself this basic question in all areas of my life: What are my priories?

When it comes to teaching karate, I am very careful and conscious of what I'm there to do, why the students are there and what's important. I remember that they are sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers and that they are loved. The details of the sessions vary from week to week but there are overarching aspects that are ultimately important throughout one's life and in the dojo and there needs to be cross-fertilisation here. For me, I am looking for the qualities of health, longevity, happiness and feeling wonderful as often as possible in and out of the dojo. We have the possibility, as coaches, to evoke a sense of accomplishment, increase self-esteem, efficacy, and joy in our classes for our students and over a long period of years these feelings are highly beneficial to the human being and their personal surroundings. 

Personally, I don't like interfering too much with the student's processes and development, even though I am, at the same time, an advocate of intensity and the necessity of reaching saturation points and breaking through...there just aren't many ways of getting information across if time is short, especially when our great instructors are only visiting for the weekend. But in general practice, I don't like to be in my student's faces and telling them to change and fix a pile of stuff. It's overloading a process that is life long anyway.  The most helpful information that I can be consistently insistent upon is 'the' principles and giving very personal homework/information for the person in I'm directly interacting with. And even then one change/improvement at a time is most effective. One of my absolute favorite aspects of the WTKO (World Traditional Karate Organisation) is that their teachings are based on solid principles. One of the huge benefits of this is that is cuts across styles, associations, and affiliations. Principles of movement are the foundations on which efficient, dynamic and powerful movement is built whether you are a javelin thrower, long jumper or marathon runner. The principles are the same and a defining character that they have is that they help me to iron out the hypocrisies in my practice and the way I'm moving.

Standing back, looking and watching, not commenting continuously, letting the student do their work and make there own connections and mistakes is vital. The skill is in seeing what the student really needs and asking oneself the question, as their coach, what piece of their personal puzzle will be useful for them to know, will actually make a difference and evoke change for them today if they are told? This requires quite a lot of discernment and sensitivity on the part of the coach. The relationship between student and sensei is at it's most effective when it is deeply personal. I have always said that when people 'perform' karate it's like reading a book. How they are mentally, emotionally and obviously physically is displayed for all to see. What a wonderful honor to be part of the positive development of an athlete and a person. The process of improved development can work from the outside to the in. Making an outer correction to the body shape causes a body, mental and emotion hook up and can shift a person and affect their general state and sense of well being immediately. Is'nt that wonderful information? This is not just my imagining this is actually proved now. Standing in a certain postures changes brain chemistry!!

Photo by Igor Rodrigues on Unsplash

So cut the training session or camp. If I am overly correcting (critical) emotionally intense and demanding most people will go into stress mode and will not be able to 'do it', they will not be able to make the corrections or change anything, they will end up feeling not so good about themselves and most likely feel inadequate. I have trained with many coaching styles and personally love the 'in your face' boot camp style where it's full-on, too much information, super challenging and very physical including getting pushed around a bit, this is my bread and butter and how I was raised into the world of karate. I take it as a compliment actually when it dished out to me. But would I do it to others? NO WAY.

So anyway, I have made a major discovery...as I explained already I like trusting the process of the student's personal evolution and them coming to their own ahah moments. But I have recently discovered something extraordinary. The further I stand back and I mean as far away from the students as possible the better. I can see and hear what's going on for them more effectively. Recently, I have literally been standing in the corner of my dojo and watching. And guess what? I have been able to really see what is going on for them. I then have not only the personal space to think about what I'm seeing and advise on corrections more appropriately but also the input that I give them has become laser focused and right on. As a result during a period of 2 weeks, the improvements in my dojo went through the roof, it was marked and for me, jaw-dropping.

The author and Mullin sensei demonstrating, Hagfors/Sweden 2018

My inspiration for these insights come from our amazing instructors at the WTKO, senseis, Richard Amos, John Mullin, and Scott Middleton, I am also inspired by the dedication and commitment of Sensei Michael Fahlsten here in Sweden. They all have such different approaches. I have most recently had the honor of training a number of times in the last year with Mullin Sensei who has an extraordinary ability to bring the best out in students. I have watched it happen a few times now. In the space of an hour, students that were fairly average became extraordinary, the level was lifted beyond what was seemingly possible. I watched in more detail in order to try and understand what Mullin sensei was doing, and, well, he stands back and he watches. When he steps in instructions are to the point and I think that mostly he has a way of interacting that simply makes people feel good about themselves and what they are doing. His detail in the instruction is perfectly placed, personal and empowering. To see what happens to the class in his presence is what prompted me to adjust my teaching style and really start looking at what it means to be a 'Coach' and ultimately a great sensei and look at what I wish for my students. I want the best results for them, for their knowledge, and flourishing understanding. If I define what that means for me at the moment, a coach/sensei is one that brings the best out of the athlete under their care, empowering them to become the best version of themselves inside and outside of the dojo. 

OSU!