It’s the third week in January, and our theme is: FORCE!
I’ll never forget my first class training in Japan with our Grandmaster. He flowed so effortlessly, controlled the space around him constantly, and said, “You don’t need force to have control. You don’t need anything you think you might need to have control”.
Life in the world these days is often focused on who is ahead and who’s behind. Who’s calling the shots and who’s taking orders. And perhaps there is nothing wrong with different folks being in charge of others – until force gets involved.
Even when it’s not violent, force can be harmful. I know I’ve experienced coercion in my life that was hurtful, even though physical force wasn’t involved. Pressured to take on a task that didn’t really serve me, teased into dressing -even behaving – the way others thought I should. And, I’ve been on the giving end of force too. Too many times in parenting, I’ve found myself resorting to some kind of demanding, manipulative, forceful tactic, because I just could not find another way to get done what I believed needed to get done!
Budo Taijutsu, the martial art we study, teaches a different way. It teaches that you can be in charge of the space around you and the course of your life, without forcing anything or anyone to be different. It’s a discipline as difficult as any have taken on, and it requires persistence.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said, “Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.” In other words, you must counter aggression with inner strength.
This is exactly what Budo guides us to do. After 9 years of training, I see now that this path is endless, but that the way becomes more clear. And while I’m still learning, I thank our martial art every day for the lessons it has taught me about my relationship with others as well as myself. I’m a gentler person because of my martial arts training.
This week, we’re exploring how to control our space without force, using the following techniques:
- Sideways Ukemi
- Kyusho (how to target them and how to protect them)
- Shizen Ken and Ki Ken
- How to Be a Good Uke in the Kihon Koshi Sanpo
- Leaping Upwards
Remember, our Open House is tomorrow! If you haven’t signed up already, please be sure to RSVP here.
Thanks for reading. We’ll see you in the dojo on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
-Sensei Nesta