Bloodied nose

The taste of my own blood is clarifying.

As it drips down from my nose my comrade asks if I'm okay. I smile and say, "yes." For what other answer can I give?

The SEACA Systema, http://seacasystema.com/, warriors and warriors-in-training have been through far worse.

They've served their country and family in too many ways to count, and they have endured far more than a bloodied nose.

I breathe and blink once. I nod and smile, as my way of saying continue, there is more I need to learn. Knowing that my, "yes," helps me grow as a martial artist, that a tiny defeat or mis-step is a trifle in the span of a life that will take more than 150 million steps goo.gl/CkDHgD

I learn from this moment and I allow this moment to train me to: manage my breathe, let the footwork move through me (instead of thinking about footwork) and most of all, no matter how fatigued, always keep my hands up. I am not Muhammad Ali.

Lesson learned.

Thanks, ready for more?

Memorial Day,

I had most of the day off on

Memorial Day, which seems too big to me. The real meaning of today is too big to fit into words. Yet having one day to honor all who've lost their lives in service to this country, in its many iterations, just one day, seems too small.

Our country which isn't defined by a specific land mass, as much as it's defined by ideas. Which means these people died for some vague and rich ideas, called America.

Soldiers giving their lives for a vague, yet rich idea, we all don't agree upon. Its true there are some words we agree upon when describing America: Freedom, justice, independence. We just don't agree on what those words mean. (A separate blog post altogether)

A single day seems too small. How do you honor the loss of million of lives. What can I say about men and women who gave their lives for an idea? I am humbled.

Fat lip

I have a fat lip, my right shoulder has a dull ache, my right knee feels like it has marbles inside it and my ankle, I don't want to talk about.

It was the best day of practice I've had in a while. Practice defined as a full dedication of self to a specific moment, so as to sharpen a skill.

Practice, since I was eighteen has about been devotion, a sacred time. In my youth I would challenge those who didn't bring the same reverence and timeliness to practice. I would punish them. A rash practice of youth. Practice should be enjoyed.

Yesterday was a revivification of true Practice, true exploration. It reminded me that I can practice alone. It reminded me that I can use work or a dinner conversion as practice. I can fully dedicate myself to a specific moment. It reminded me that pushing myself is a good thing.

Let's hear it for practice. My kind, not Allen Iverson talkin' about practice - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI

I'm talking about real practice.

Timing

This is my favorite quote on timing. "...积水之激，至于漂石者，势也。鸷鸟之疾，至于毁折者，节也。"

 "... When the strike of a hawk breaks the body of its prey, it is because of timing. "

The quote comes from the "Art of War." 

What I love about it is that it speaks to a concern for all martial artists. The concern is, What if my opponent is stronger than I am? It's a great question. Hopefully a question asked and answered before getting into any kind of altercation.

The quote isn't suggesting that strength doesn't matter (and it's not limiting strength to a physical capacity) but it is saying that strength can be overcome. A 120 lb. opponent can defeat a 220 lb. opponent. 

It doesn't say how, but with this statement we can begin to ask how. Striking soft targets on the body with something hard? Using weapons? A knockout below? 

The items above answer the question, "How do I overcome an opponent?" But they don't speak to the component called timing.

timing |ˈtīmiNG|  noun
the choice, judgment, or control of when something should be done: one of the secrets of golf is good timing.
• a particular point or period of time when something happens.
• (in an internal combustion engine) the times when the valves open and close, and the time of the ignition spark, in relation to the movement of the piston in the cylinder.
For timing in this case, we are talking about the judgement you use, which may not be a "thinking" kind of judgement. It could be a "kinesthetic awareness" kind of judgement, a judgement that tells you when (whether sparring or trying to save your life) to enter and attack. Then judgement allows us to discern where to strike, and if to strike again, or if to retreat.

Timing also speaks to the questions, "Is the technique I'm about to use the correct one?" "Am I using it in the right place (on the body)?" and, "Is this the correct angle to produce maximal results?"

The question of timing is answered before an incident, not after.Preparation.

Questions or comments?

Seminar on the Fundamentals of SEACA Systema's Aprendizaje

I should call it Super Fun Saturday.
I had the pleasure of working with some senior students from Seattle's CRT class. It was a blast.

I love teaching so much. It makes me feel like a kid again.

The hour long session introduced the striking to spaces: one, two, three and four, of the modified Aprendizaje, from SEACA Systema.

In retrospect, I see that an hour is only enough time to whet one's appetite for what's available in this small, yet foundational piece of SEACA. To really deliver the strikes, you need to master: breath, timing, footwork, the warrior's spirit, forward intention and being flexible.

Each aspect of striking really deserves its own blog post, like the one I wrote on breath. Even then, it would only scratch the surface. Living and practicing it is (of course) not the same as writing about it.

There is a long, sometimes painful road, between the introduction of a techique and ingraining a technique into the fiber of your being.

I think one of the keys to being a Kalista is seeing yourself as a warrior defending home and country with a sword. Or, perhaps, seeing yourself a lion roaming the plains. Changing how you see yourself in some way that allows you to move forward with great intention, without losing touch with your self and reality, and what you are  trying to accomplish.

Thanks for reading,

Guro Bahi

 

Seminar on the Fundamentals of SEACA Systems’s Aprendizaje

18 June 2013

Seminar on the Fundamentals of SEACA Systems’s Aprendizaje

Guro Bahi will deliver a seminar on the fundamentals of Aprendizaje. Students will be introduced to:

Striking to spaces one and two
The importance of controlled breathe
The Kali Diamond footwork
Lop Nar as an introduction to Heaven Six

Demonstration of the twelve strikes of the Aprendizaje
Discussion regarding Kali and the Aprendizaje
Discussion regarding hands and weapons relationship
Work with partners

Lesson One: Control your Breath

Control your breath

This is a cardinal rule in all martial arts. So, of course it is true in SECA Systema. The real question is how?  And the vaguest of vague answers is: practice.

Under adrenal-ized conditions you must practice slowing your breathing, managing your breath, being conscious of your breath.

Experiment:

With a partner, watch what happens when they throw strikes at your face at 50% speed while you breathe in and out as fast as you can. Try this for at least a full 60 seconds. Bob and weave. Protect yourself. Do whatever you normally do in your martial practice, but breathe in and out as fast as you can. Be careful not to hyperventilate.

Try this exercise again, while managing your breath. Do the same drill except now focus your attention on breathing in and then out, but slowly.

A world of difference, yes?

Now, go practice. Make it your own.

Kali!

Ready to start teaching again!

http://youtu.be/7vSRWJ2oW0Q

SEACA Systema: Building up my stamina and my spinning inside crescent kick for my visit to Phoenix. My tickets aren't booked yet, but soon.

CRT: Coaching from my Si-hing, "…try being willowy."

Hearing him say that was like a number one strike to the side of my head. I can hear Manu's voice saying, "…breathe, Bahi. Relax." The same lesson, but 10 years later.

Old muscle memories tell me to be stiff, use my strength to power through. The patterns that got me into lots of trouble when first learning knife fighting with SEACA Systema. It amazes me how I need to keep learning the same (seemingly) lessons.

Another great day to be a martial artist.

_Bahi