Class Log: Improvisation + Kuden of Life

Life has certainly been busy, yet I’ve been in this flow for some time.  What exactly does improvisation means in terms of budo, life and most importantly my musical experience? First let me share my views on improvisation.

Improvisation can apply to many things such as – martial arts, music, theater, comedy, dancing, gaming/games, conversation, painting, navigation, thinking, sex, etc.  What’s involved or what all listed have in common with improvisation is the idea of change.

This topic can go on but, I would like to add something common signs of such before getting into a more detail of our training from this weekend.

Involvement of the latter – difficult to grasp, ever- changing, reacting to other people, decision making, without preparation, making sense of the moment, being on the spot, no predetermination agendas, openness, unrepeatable, performance, social, adapting, reacting to the situation. See most artist no matter what genre would not make a distinction how they improvise in their art and how they see life as a whole. Some of our great known artist strayed off the quote “path” to create. In my opinion this is the point I wish to stress upon as for taijutsu training. Before you can deviate from the basic technique, form it’s suggested to learn and practice the base of the basics “forever” – just a joke. Really acquire the tools and practice diligently  to it becomes or feels natural to move in such a way that  it feels little effort is necessary to make something happen (cause & effect).

Friday class brought me to a point of opening class with some important issues to discuss therefore we’re all start from scratch. This form of kuden allowed us to be on the same page which set the atmosphere for some really good training and intense interest in exploring concepts and principles beyond the waza. As of late I asked one of the three blackbelts in attendance to show a technique which was expressed well to say the lest – everyone practice this technique for 5 to 10mins before I went in there and showed “henka”. Which is another definition of improvisation. Discussion on (DAT) distance, angle and timing was of primary concern in order to improvise consciously speaking.  This awareness / attitude is essential to understanding the waza or whatever technique shown to learn how improvise and control your opponent in the kukan (space). I believe this sort of practice is important throughout training and should continue for your lifetime. Sensei talks about being zero, nothing, etc. The latter topics is like a prerequisite to enter such  a unconscious state – this is why I presume we have to practice. In fact all great artist spends many hours practicing there fundamentals to achieve  greatness (immortality), meaning its a metaphor. Please don’t misunderstand what I’m trying to get at here.

All the blackbelts get the chance to teach something they have been working on. The class had the opportunity to practice these various styles of moving that brought flavor to this summer night in NYC.

Saturday seven of us (koteki dojo) attended the Larry Turner seminar host by Muzosa Dojo here in NY. In addition to the seminar with Larry, Jeff Christian Shihan and Tim Brown Shidoshi celebrated 25 years apiece training in the Bujinkan with no breaks therefore continuing their mastery of Hatsumi Sensei’s art. I had a good time seeing old friends and making new ones. Another aspect of community (bujinkan) Sensei often talks about. Hint “improvisation”.

Larry is considered a master at the fundamentals in my book. To bad many other NY dojos didn’t show up to support such an warm, friendly event.  In my opinion those who consider themselves to be top dogs in the Bujinkan New York area and stuck on stupid (meaning politically) really has to take a look at what they preach to their students in terms of the Bujinkan way.  Again this is my opinion and not to be taken as the absolute truth – they’re are no truths in life nor in the Bujinkan although some fools would argue such. Well lets just let them rant and rave. )

During the seminar Larry taught some really subtle movements that I happen to miss while training. Frustration is the word I would usually use but, I can’t say such. I was more like (to my uke) this is not what I saw therefore your body is doing this and that, his (Larry) uke body was doing this and that. Hmmmm (scratching my head) rather then try to figure it out and waste time, I just called Larry over and ask him to show me what he had done that produce such a reaction from uke.  What I miss was three steps – Larry was like step back, step to the left and step forward. Done! I said to my uke, let me try it and saw the big difference. See no matter how basic or easy a technique seems, if you’re not getting your uke to react like what is being shown then perhaps your missing something. It was then that I realized once I was able to groove from this correction I learned how improvise and find my rhythm. This attitude set the theme for me and my student for the rest of the seminar. My student and myself made a joke about what we found. I told my partner for every improvisation I discover she has to give me a $1 and we both laughed. She owes my something like $25 (improvisation = infinity) Laughing.

The logic behind all of what I shared here is budo and life goes hand and hand. There’s no separation nor is they’re any hidden secrets – you have to practice, explore and learn from your mistakes in life. Eventually you’ll enter another phase and more challenges to walk through and apply to on your mastery pursue  of the greatest lessons in life. Budo is like a harmony (chords) – you learn this, you’ll find your groove.

In closing I’ll like to add this picture + my favorite quote for the week. Please enjoy and if ever I say something offensive please don’t criticize me on a public form, I’m very approachable, just email or phone me.

The famous Charlie Parker once wrote: “Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn. They teach you there’s a boundary line to music. But, man, there’s no boundary line to art”.

Charlie Parker was one of the best saxophonist of all time that improvise his music to become one of the best in his genre.

For all you budo enthusiast this is not about music only, it’s about life, the path that has chosen us.

Class Log: Space / Rest / Taijutsu / Zero / Energy

                                 

Update: Friday evening class structure was unusual to say the lest.  Life is a lot like budo. You’ve gotta put some rest in there. Interesting is the word I’ll use here to describe class – we started at our usual time with the presence of 4 people eager to study budo taijutsu & the feeling of disappearing (keiru no kankaku). Everyone’s energy felt connected like a force of two magnets (inryoku). The idea I was trying to convey while moving with little restriction with my uke (ukeru – to receive technique, opponent) was to maintain my presence in the space with the right distance and angle. The timing / flow comes alive as a reult of repetition. It’s the life of the waza in space where the moment breaths the melody of defeat. When the music between you and your opponent momentarily hangs – then the feeling stops. The force has no purpose to exist between you and your opponent – thus there can’t be no jiryoku ( attraction). It’s a kind of attraction that is necessary for life to exist. Without an opponent they’re can be no technique or defense. In our basic class I taught the feeling. The amazing thing was, our two mu-kyu (novice) students experienced the feeling and thus transmitted to eachother what they felt. Omote gyaku tsuki – was the offical kata from the torite goho gata. We spent a good hour on one technique focusing on kamae, distance and angling to offset ukes balance. Everyone explored the base kata along with the principles needed to further they’re studies. I took the opportunity from everyones ability to demostrate the kata and introduce slight variations. I spoke about the attraction of uke & tori recognizing the magnetic principle to maintain their presence in space. For our second class kyu grades or visitors are not allowed to watch.

Sensei has been speaking about becoming zero and space for so long. Zero means nothing, right? The first number is the number one! Before that, you have zero, which is nothing. Lets say you put zero (nothing) next to one on the right side, you get 10 right. Yeah? The zero when placed behind or next to any number, is like multiplying that number by ten. This means zero is a powerful number. In fact according to Sensei it’s more then a number, it’s a principle or concept when expressing taijutsu / juppo sessho. It is the principle that allows all things / you (tori) to exist and expand.  Zero is the base, the foundation. Without it, there would be no other number or awareness in the moment. Here is an interesting anology I was exposed to – Zero is actually superior to all the other numbers.  The number one through nine always represents someting. Zero gets to represent something and nothing. Usually it goes unnoticed, but it can be on the bottom and on the top. Think about this? Any number multiplied by zero always equals zero. Zero can be inyo / yin and yang. It represents opposites, something and noting. Fullness and emptiness, big and little, power and weakness, bottom and top, black and white, boy and girl, etc. It is not a coincidence that its shape is round – space, kukan. A circle is the shape of space. It has no beginning and no end. It is the shape that all things eventually revert back to the point (point zero). Hypothetically a straight line, if continued long enough, will in due time make a circle providing it’s desire is to met it’s starting point in time (past, present and future). A black hole, a vortex that sucks in on one side and throws out on the other; zero has the ability to show both sides hence (black, white, up and down). Zero is the space, you see. It is the base of all things, and from within the space all power comes forth.  Look within the waza, what do you find? space. Whenever you think of nothing, remind yourself that is where power exist. From the nothingness all things of this and other dimensions are born. Sensei said this past April that techniques done in the space give birth to other techniques. When you try hard at anything, in this case the space, you push it away. Again the keys or doors to everything can be found in the space.  Space could be seen as the birthplace of all things.  That is why all things are eventually attracted (jiryoku) back to it. This is the principle of zero.  Please don’t take what I’m sharing as sheer truth without invastigating your beliefs from close examination. Hebert Spencer once said - ”There is a principle (truth) which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everylasting (eternal, forever) ignorance – that principle is contempt (openmind) prior to investigation”. Your understanding of this will allow you to progress with your taijutsu with an immeasurable amount of power, the power to adapt (change). We are all responsible for our training, and responsible for the power to control our opponent in the space.

 Now for our favorite quote in closing – ” You get what you concentrate upon……..there is no other main rule”.

 

To be or not to be –

Anthony Lucas, Dojo Cho