The photo is a path I chose in the NYPD. I chose to be an Undercover... When you find yourself in a room surrounded by your enemies, you should tell yourself, "I am not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me!" This is the kind of mindset you should have if you want to succeed in life. Get rid of that victim mentality. Bruce Lee Nev...

You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain. Miyamoto Musashi So many people in this world find something that works for them, and then think that they know what's best for everyone else. This happens a lot in the martial arts world with arguments over style, techniques, instruction, etc. Martial artists like to ...

Make sure that you are not your own worst enemy! Ancient wisdom literature is packed with warnings about making careless mistakes which can cause you great harm. Whether is it is allowing your emotions to control your words and actions, or simply being careless with your speech or actions, you must guard against being your own worst enemy. Througho...

The Monk would have you believe he is on fire, But it is just his energy showing itself.....The Monk never complains..... Spending today complaining about yesterday will not make your tomorrow any better. It is time to stop wasting your time complaining. Cut complaining out of your life completely! You cannot change the things which have already ha...

Every struggle in your life has shaped you into the person you are today. Be thankful for the hard times, they can only make you stronger. Keanu Reeves Nobody ever said life would be easy. Everyone has their struggles and their challenges in this life. You may never know what all someone has gone through, but be assured, everyone you meet has had t...

I remember after having developed the above photo telling myself I need to step it up and change...my status was the same as everyone else, I need to change ...to push more then the other person at work and the Dojo........I told myself this is it, nothing will stand in my way.......and I never really looked back....... Change the way you speak abo...

Constant Training by George McCall  Last Sunday after keiko, I was lining up to say thank you to one of the older 7dan sensei (lets call him S-sensei). 77 years old now, I remember going to his 70th birthday celebration the highlight of which was him doing tachigiri keiko – he fenced a shodan, a nidan, a sandan, a yondan, a godan, a rokudan, a...

If there is one thing that a beginner has, it is questions! Yet, in the martial arts we are often told we should not ask questions. But that doesn't mean we should just accept what is said to us without trying to understand it further. We still need to pay attention. I was living in Kyoto in the mid-seventies. I had just graduated from college, and...

Mushin (無心; Japanese mushin; English translation "no mind") is a mental state into which very highly trained martial artists are said to enter during combat.[citation needed] They also practice this mental state during everyday activities. The term is shortened from mushin no shin (無心の心), a Zen expression meaning the mind without mind and is also r...

 Rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable. Sun Tzu You don't really have any control over whether or not some predator decides to mug you or assault you. While it is true that presenti...

When you find yourself in a room surrounded by your enemies, you should tell yourself, "I am not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me!" This is the kind of mindset you should have if you want to succeed in life. Get rid of that victim mentality. Bruce Lee Never allow yourself to fall victim to a victim mentality. You are in contr...

Knowing your place in the Dojo. Giri is a Japanese term that can be translated into functionally correct English but that really has no equivalent in English if one refers to the emotion behind it. Giri roughly means "obligation" but to the Japanese, it means "life-long commitment" as in repaying something that was done for you or to help you. This...

You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain. Miyamoto Musashi So many people in this world find something that works for them, and then think that they know what's best for everyone else. This happens a lot in the martial arts world with arguments over style, techniques, instruction, etc. Martial artists like to ...

Kime Part 3 Another telltale sign on whether or not a Dojo is teaching Kiai & Kime is how the students or instructors for that matter use their eyes. A principle often taught to sport competitors is to keep your eyes on the opponent's chest or belt, and for the beginner this does work. The rationale being that with your eyes pointed to their ce...

Kime part 2 A pathetic trait of most modern martial art schools is the feeble, patronizing grunts each of their students pass for spirit shouts. The casual "kiaaaaa's and huyaaaa those students mechanically mouth demonstrate how little their instructors know of Kiai & Aiki. And since so few modern martial artists understand the importance of th...

Focus your entire being on achieving the objective. The central principle of kime is to focus your entire being on achieving your objective. When you apply kime, there is nothing else in your world but the task at hand, nothing but destroying the target, defeating the enemy. This level of commitment must be physical as well as mental. For the hard ...

Kime, or spiritual focus is probably the most important element in the development of your Kiai and Ki…It's the gel that brings all the other facets together. Kime is the focus that literally defines Kiai's focused life force. The word Kime has physical, mental and spiritual connotations. It's Kime that, working with the rooted leverage of Haragei ...

At the bottom of this article is a series of photos of how over the years I have tried to engage and develop Chinquchi.....Notice that each photo shows the tension that several Dojo's have completely forgotten about when it comes to gaining strength...... ABOUT KATA AN ORGANIZED SERIES OF PREARRANGED DEFENSIVE AND OFFENSIVE MOVEMENTS SYMBOLIZING AN...

Carlos Castaneda stated, "To be a warrior is not a simple matter of wishing to be one. It is rather an endless struggle that will go on to the very last moment of our lives." This is stated perfectly. There is much more to being a warrior than simply wishing to be one or calling yourself a warrior. Nobody is born a warrior, or anything else for tha...

The surest way to be taken in is to think oneself craftier than other people. La Rochefoucauld Don't think that you are the wisest and most knowledgeable person on the planet. There are many, many brilliant people out there, all competing for their share of the pie. Overconfidence can set you up for a fall. Don't underestimate your opponent or your...