Taking WISE

This blog post may not see the light of day right now, and may not be included in my grade (my presentation is tomorrow after all), but I write it for those who are going to be in the WISE program next year. I would like to say two things before I get into anything else. Firstly, I do not regret taking WISE, because it presented to me a problem, a task, which forced me to push myself and consequently I have grown as a person. Secondly, it just feels like the right way to end my senior year, the way being doing something that I love and am passionate about for a grade. The final presentation may be a little rough for me, but it will be a valuable experience.

This last year of classes at IHS went a lot more quickly than I ever anticipated. It feels like just yesterday I was starting the year and it was "back to the old grind." To think that tomorrow is my last day of classes as a high-school student is a scary thought. It makes me wonder where the time has gone.

Time is the most important resource that one can have. Specifically for any potential WISE students, managing it will be a great challenge. If done correctly, then everything will hopefully fall into place, but there is no guarantee.

At the beginning of my project, I recognized my lack of discipline as I slowly sank into "senioritis" and just plain laziness, and I had originally hoped that it would help me deal with that. I was wrong. Thinking back now, all my project did was present me with work that I had to do, like any class at school, and it has changed me, for the better I think. My point, for next year's WISE students, is that you are responsible for yourself and your project. The second semester project can be done well, or it can be done minimally, just passing the requirements and "avoiding detection" as needing to go in for extra help and guidance. I advise against the latter, as your project will not turn into what you need it be for your presentation, nor what you need it to be to grow as a person, unless you put in the time, the work, and the effort. Trust me, it shows.

Founding Principles

Seido was founded on three important principles, those being respect, love and obedience.

Respect - Kaicho Nakamura writes that through respect, a person will be forced to treat everyone of his peers "courtesy and equanimity." He goes on to write that if one lacks respect outwardly (towards others), it is a result of a "lack of respect for [oneself]." One of his major points with this principle is that if one lacks respect then they find it extremely easy to harm another person. This is because they are viewed as another, separate, entity, completely different and unrelated to oneself. This distance is caused by a lack of respect and should be avoided.

Love - Through respect lies the second principle, love. The word love itself is used completely inappropriately in our culture today. Kaicho writes that love grows out of respect. If one does not respect those that he or she loves, then it is probable that one will do those people some manner of disrespect, which goes against Kaicho's definition of love.

Obedience - Lastly, obedience constitutes one of the most important parts of life. People every day are obedient regarding the rules and the manners in which they are supposed to behave. Specifically, a karateka must obey his parents. Through obedience, humility is fostered in a person which is a valuable characteristic to have in regards to martial arts.

( All information found in Karate: Technique and Spirit )

The Spirit and Moral Values

After all I have read for my project, especially the works by Kaicho Nakamura, the spirit of the karateka (Karate practitioner) is stressed. One of the more important attributes that a person can have is the non-quitting spirit. Kaicho explicitly states that Seido Karate seeks to create this spirit in each and every karateka.

There are also major moral values associated with Karate. They are, according to Kaicho Nakamura, rectitude, heroism, universal love and compassion, courtesy, truthfulness, and devotion and loyalty.

Rectitude - In this situation, rectitude refers to "making the right decision in every situation and doing it without wavering."

Heroism - It has taken on a different meaning in this time period, but involves risking the stuff that is important to us for something more than ourselves.

Universal Love/ Compassion - Compassion is the way in which karatekas carry themselves, specifically expressing their compassion towards others.

Courtesy - One should demonstrate courtesy consistently and regularly, which means that they are respectful and compassionate in their everyday interactions.

Truthfulness - It is important to be truthful in every way, meaning that one does not equivocate, especially in relationships which benefit from truth and trust.

Devotion and Loyalty - According to Kaicho Nakamura, these two attributes are major parts of one of Karate's founding principles, which is obedience. He states that "a student should be absolutely loyal and devoted, first and always, to his family."

( All information found in Karate: Technique and Spirit )

Self-Defense Techniques

While I previously mentioned ideas about self defense before, specifically with the "Bucking Horse" story, I have never really described what exactly I am referring to when I mention practicing it. It is referred to "ippon kumite" in Japanese, which translates to "one step sparring." This title is very fitting as all of the self-defense "techniques" I know involve one step. To help visualize what exactly is being done when someone is performing "self-defense techniques" it is often easiest to picture a kata, or form, that only lasts one step. The differences between kata and ippon kumite are numerous so it is important to not get them confused.

Ippon kumite is only one of many types of kumite. The other part of my project that has to do with kumite is "sparring." Sparring is a very general term that applies to practice fighting, and the more accurate term for the "sparring" sessions I had with my father is "jiyu kumite." Jiyu kumite translates to "free fighting." This "free fighting" simulates what an actual fight scenario might be like. Jiyu kumite is one of my favorite parts of my training.

Coming To A Close

Unfortunately, my project is coming to a close. A week from this Friday is my presentation and there are several loose ends that I need to tie up before it happens:

1. Post my research about:

• The three major principles on which Seido is founded
• Self Defense Techniques
• The Spirit

2. Polish:

• Kata
• Self-Defense
• Strikes

3. Practice actually going through my presentation several times (at least over the weekend)

I also have to complete and send out an email containing documents to the people who will be grading my project. These tasks may seem like a lot, but they are doable.

Balance

The journey through my WISE project has been full of extremes. In the beginning, it was extremely intense training followed shortly by extreme jumps between my WISE work, other school work, and my part time job. These last few weeks have been no exception. I have been feeling extreme amounts of stress about all of my projects and papers. Very recently, one of my friends mentioned to me how eventually I am going to burn myself out and I have to say that he was right. Up until the start of this weekend, I lacked balance.

At the beginning of this weekend, I was able to just relax with my friends as I went out to dinner and saw a movie. Since then I have been spending a lot of time with my family. There were times when I had to work but the shifts were rather uneventful. Needless to say, this weekend has been exactly what I needed to balance all of the work I have been doing.

There is balance in the way a Seido karateka is supposed to train. Seido training is structured such that intense physical training is counterbalanced by periods of tranquil meditation. Diet is even mentioned in Kaicho's writings and how important it is to maintain a healthy one which is something that I have not considered for the duration of my project, but will after the school year is finished.

Karate Class and Training

After a long break, I went back to my Karate class. It was not really a voluntary break as I have been focusing on my studies. Throughout the entire class I was thinking about my technique. I was thinking about how easy it is to notice flaws in other people's form and that it is extremely difficult to notice flaws in one's own form. I tried to notice all the flaws in my form and I was surprised. I noticed certain things about how I kick and how I am better kicking with my right leg instead of my left. I need to work on both in addition to my balance. Overall, though, it felt really good to go back.

Following my class, I went home and trained for awhile. I practiced specifically actually striking an object, which was my heavy bag. I am pretty proficient at striking correctly, but there are times when I kick the bag incorrectly and it is painful. It is an immediate indicator of whether or not I am doing it right.