No Class first week in March

I will be traveling and training for the next 10 days :

• Yoshukai Karate Winter camp in Pensacola on Feb 27, 28                 
• in Atlanta attending the Buddha and only Buddha Sesshin from March 2 to March 6 at the Atlanta Soto Zen Center;
• in Pensacola again to attend the Winter Iaijutsu camp at the Big Green Drum Dojo with Carl Long Sensei from March 6 to 8.

Consequently there will be no Zazen session, Taichi or Kenjutsu-Iaido class first week in March. Activities will resume in Dothan on March 8 with our regular Zazen session at the Yoshukai Karate Dojo.

Thank you for your support

Cravings - The roots of suffering

Listening to the radio last Monday morning - Beside the Toyota recalls, most talks about the economy, the rate of joblessness, etc, etc... If people are unemployed, they cannot buy stuff, and then there is no need to create jobs to build this stuff. So now is time for the Government to DO something! So Government needs to borrow money to create jobs, the newly employed people can buy stuff, and more people are hired to build this stuff. All of this snowballs, and we are back to GROWTH - Alleluia ! All is for the best in the best possible world.

But...

Do we really need this stuff ? Do I really need a new 30 GB Iphone, , a new car, a new Katana, a cruise to Cancun ?

What if in order to build this stuff the resources of the Planet are overused so much that the ecological systems on which all of humanity and other species depend are dramatically disrupted ? What if people from poorer countries have been reduced to  quasi-slavery to produce it ?

What kind of planet are we going to leave behind us ?  

Do no Evil...

The Economic system our society is based on has little alternative but growth. In order to generate it, Marketing creates new needs and cravings - attachments - for things or services we could really do without. Cereal bars, E-readers, SUV Vehicles, GPS, Boob jobs...

It was okay for a while as long as we were not taxing the resources of the Planet faster than they can renew themselves. but some people believe we have reached the point were growth is not possible anymore. Even if they are mistaken, it is very clear that this point will one day be reached. Problem for the planet.

On an individual level, the creation of these new needs and cravings is simply the root of Suffering for Buddhists. Problem for the individual.

No need to revert back to the cave age. After all, if I did not have this notebook, I could not be writing about this matter, and you could not be reading about it. We need to use the tools we have. We also need to ask ourselves, at our own little individual level : Do I really need this ? Is this really going to contribute something positive to society ? Is this really going to make me more at peace ?

Change will only occur at the individual level. No civilization was ever changed by a group. But by individuals. What we need is a change in personal attitude, we cannot and should not rely on others - everyone has to contribute their own little part. Everyone matters.

It is not going to be easy, but the later we wait, the more difficult and painful it will be.

Let's get  to work 

here, now.

Yoshukai Iai Video

Taped yesterday - the Yoshukai Iaido Kata - these 8 waza were selected by Yamamoto Sensei from the Niten Ichi Ryu curriculum.




Particularities of these moves are the nukitsuke with inverted grab in Waza # 3 and 6 which allows a fully vertical upward draw and the hard Chiburi realized by twirling the blade in the front and then striking the tsuka with the fist.

My Precious

People still surprise me. I have had in the past month 3 occasions when people vehemently asked me to remove videos I had posted on YouTube or this blog, pretending they OWNED the video or the copyright to the Video, or that they were acting on behalf of the real owner...

In one case, apparently the person does not really own any copyright. In the other case, they may own it. I have no evidence of that, and they did not provide it. I decided however, to believe them, as I have no interest in arguing...

What I found disturbing however, is that although these video promote a Martial Art Master who had been their master, by showing what this man was able to do, they would rather the video not been shown than have it promoted by someone else. 

I actually received several comments from various Karate Black Belt pleased to see these very educative tapes.

It sounds a little bit like “Well I have this  treasure, I do not use it, I do not show it, but I do not want anyone to be able to profit from it. It is MINE, my PRECIOUS... “

A little sad, and a loss to the community.

We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious. They stole it from us. Sneaky little hobbitses. Wicked, tricksy, false!

Katsuoh Yamamoto - Defense against grabbing

Another video from the 70's of our Grand Master Katsuoh Yamamoto demonstrating defense moves against grabbing opponents. Some of the techniques are the same his instructor Dr Chitose was using, which you can see in one video on one of my previous posts.



These tapes being pretty old the quality is far from good. These are however interesting moves. I was practicing most of these in a slightly different form when I was studying Ju Jitsu with Sensei Rolland Hernaez in France.

I will soon post on You Tube an other video of defense against atemi (Punch and kicks). Stay tuned...

Sai tai Bo Video - Yamamoto Sensei.

For everybody's enjoyment, an old video footage of our Yoshukai Karate Grand Master Katsuoh YAMAMOTO performing Sai tai Bo in the 2 roles, first with the Bo, then with the Sais.

For those of you familiar with the Kata, some waza are a little different than the way we perform them today, also they are not performed in the same order. However, look at the speed and accuracy. Rikki Hitatsu - Strive for excellence...

Thanks to Mike Culbreth Sensei - WYKKO Kukaicho  - for letting me scan some of his videos archives and find these clips. I will soon post more original Yoshukai Karate Videos, some of them featuring our Grand Master again, prepare to be amazed !

OSU

Tai Chi Yang Form

The 24 postures simplified form of Yang style Tai Chi was the result of an effort by the Chinese Sports Committee which, in 1956, brought together four eminent tai chi teachers to create a simplified form of tai chi as exercise for the masses. (A little in the same way the Nihon Kendo Kata was designed in Japan by asking masters of several Kenjutsu school to design a modern exercize)

The creators truncated the traditional Yang family hand form generally composed of 108 postures) to 24 postures. It is difficult to see the Martial application of these moves. They are however extremely efficient when it comes to stretching muscles, joints and tendons.

Here is a very gracious demonstration of that form.

The 24 postures form is likely the Tai Chi form with the most practitioners in China and the world over.