Month: August 2022

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The Abyss Of Death

Steve Rowe

We never truly understand life until the abyss of death is staring back at us into our very soul. The veil that life throws over our head means that we forget we’re going to die and live as if we’re going to live forever and push it to the very back of our mind, occupying our headspace with trivia and human indoctrinated shit. Only the ancient tribes that lived close to and in harmony with nature saw life and death in the right harmonious balance. Warriors confronting death on a daily basis also had to feel comfortable staring into that … Continue reading The Abyss Of Death

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The Empty Chair

Steve Rowe

There is the chair,He used to be there,Hair gone grey,Body wasting away,Cognitively impaired,But with humour shared. Strong when he was young,With punches that stung,A high standard of Kung Fu,With kicks that flew,But time took the skill,And made him sit still. He ended in the chair,And had to stay there,Until the part that cannot be destroyed,Finally returned to the void. Now his spirit is still there,As always willing to share,For those with respect,Are still able to connect. Continue reading The Empty Chair

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The Eyes Have It

Steve Rowe

Where your intention (yi) goes your energy (chi) follows. In Tai Chi we use an ‘eye’ form, whilst practising a hand form we look at certain parts of our own body (usually a hand or hands) with the intention of sending our chi energy there. This has the effect of moving our chi and sending it to where we need it. It helps us to learn how to raise our energy, colour it with the right intention, focus and discharge it. Vision can be focused and unfocused, activating and utilising both sides of the brain and using peripheral vision to … Continue reading The Eyes Have It

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Neurodivergence And Martial Arts

Steve Rowe

In hindsight I realise that I’m neurodivergent. To anyone that knows me or learns from it’s probably quite obvious. I’m not on any recognised ‘spectrum’ but as a child I didn’t get on with my family, couldn’t get on at school, couldn’t learn in the way I was taught, failed all my exams was always unhappy and was generally thought of as ‘stupid’. I hate crowds, bright lights and loud noise. I feel sick in cars, with flashing lights and with a lot of different smells and foods. I’m highly empathic and sensitive. It was only when I encountered martial … Continue reading Neurodivergence And Martial Arts

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Paper Tgers

Steve Rowe

I’m constantly unsubscribing to martial art pages, people and groups that ridicule others. Often someone will post a video of karate ‘bunkai’ application to a kata from up to 40 years ago and then ridicule it. I was practising Karate (that’s me in the photo with Takimazawa Sensei) and working security in the 70’s and knew that the kata had to be studied and what was demonstrated was not practical and only a demonstration for shows. Pairs work was to drill practical skills safely and was not exactly how it would be applied in the street. We practised the ‘art’ … Continue reading Paper Tgers

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Insight

Steve Rowe

Insight is an important skill and can be trained. Most senior martial artists rely on it in many areas of their life and particularly in their martial art studies. Insight is the ability to pierce to the heart of any subject or problem without having to go through a laborious process. How do we gain this skill? The first step is to develop mindfulness, by calming the body, emotions and thoughts, without the mental and emotional clutter, clarity can arise. Mindfulness arises from a combination of posture and deep breathing until everything calms down and an appreciation that we are … Continue reading Insight