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The Simple Guide To Meditation

Steve Rowe

“I can’t make my mind a blank…” Is a common complaint and ‘monkey mind’ (the mischievous wandering mind) seems to be the biggest problem for anyone ‘sitting’ without proper direction. Trying to make your mind ‘blank’ is a thought in itself – and therefore self defeating. The Japanese word ‘Mushin’ or ‘no mind’ means no thinking mind, the only way you can create this spontaneous mental state is to gradually reduce the activity of the thinking mind until it ‘flatlines’ and allows the aware, non thinking, ‘wisdom mind’ to come to the foreground. The best route to achieving this is … Continue reading The Simple Guide To Meditation

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Cultural Stories In Tai Chi Postures

Steve Rowe

“Okay lets do the form” said Sifu after we had completed the neigong and qigong exercises… We were about to practice the ‘Yang Chen Fu 108’ form, probably the most popular Taiji form in the world today. 108 because it’s a magic number to the Chinese, there are really about 335 moves but then – who’s counting! Taiji has names for techniques that are sometimes self-explanatory, like ‘Lift Hands’ or ‘Brush Knee’ but also have names that explain how the technique is done, often with cultural stories. Techniques are also often grouped by a name like ‘Grasp Sparrows Tail’ which … Continue reading Cultural Stories In Tai Chi Postures

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I Have A Dream…

Steve Rowe

That one day Martial Arts will not be thought of as ‘separate’ Martial Arts, that the politics of structures like Karate, Ju Jitsu,  Kung Fu, Taekwondo and Aikido are consigned to history – that Martial Arts will retain it’s diversity without the politics and have just one Governing Body dealing only with club structure, safety and the various types of competition…. That there will be no politics of styles, no Wado, no Shotokan, no Hun Gar, no GKR, no Tomiki, that everyone will be working to be the best they can and eventually transcending the ‘style’ of their teachers with … Continue reading I Have A Dream…

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No One Fights With Swords Anymore

Steve Rowe

I love the whooshing sound that a shinken blade makes as it cuts the air.  The soundless drawing of the blade as it unsheathes with the skilled use of both hands that allows it to slip seamlessly from thesaya, the rapid expansion of the body causing the blade to power through the air and the way that theIaido practitioner slides along the Dojo floor on knees or feet with the suriashi (gliding step) movement, utilising the hakama sabaki to prevent tripping over the divided trousers gives a beautiful feel to this deadly art. It’s spellbinding watching Sensei practice, his perfect … Continue reading No One Fights With Swords Anymore

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Emotional Intelligence in Martial Arts

Steve Rowe

In Martial Arts we talk about developing the student ‘holistically’ or developing the ‘whole person’.  What does this mean? Some schools say that the sole purpose of training in the Martial Arts is to learn to fight and the rest is just ‘fluff’ and extraneous, but is a ‘fighter’ a Martial Artist? Most people don’t come to the Martial Arts to learn to ‘fight’, 99% of the phone calls we take are from prospective students who want to be fit and healthy and to be able to defend themselves.  These two purposes are not mutually exclusive and there is a … Continue reading Emotional Intelligence in Martial Arts

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Vicars, Tarts and Martial Arts

Steve Rowe

This guy from the local paper rings me up and wants to take some self defence type pictures for a “Vicars Are To Learn Self Defence” article.  “No problem” I say…. Any (reasonable) publicity is okay… The reporter comes up and like all newspaper (and magazine) journalists and photographers wants the stupidest pictures that you wouldn’t be seen dead doing.  But being a veteran I was ready and irrespective of what he asked for gave him the right ones. “Can you…….  (Steve immediately strikes up one of his poses with uke) Oh… OK…  fine….”  (Click, click) “Then could we have…..  … Continue reading Vicars, Tarts and Martial Arts

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Ethical Is Successful Business In Martial Arts

Steve Rowe

Martial Arts businesses suffer from some of the worst marketing on this planet.  All the ‘hype’, ‘management consultants’, ‘Leadership Programmes’, ‘upgrades’, door to door sales, mass leafleting and buzz words that have lost their meaning such as ‘self discipline’, ‘confidence’, ‘self defence’, the self made ‘Masters’, countless ‘World Champions’, clubs that throw every Martial Art into the hat with lists that they couldn’t possible supply has left potential and existing students sullied, confused and lost. Schools wanting to develop relationships with outside sports clubs have had their fingers burned by the expansionist, badly run and heavily marketed clubs. Under the … Continue reading Ethical Is Successful Business In Martial Arts

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How To Get A Black Belt

Steve Rowe

“How long will it take me to get a Black Belt?” This has got to be the most common question asked to any Martial Arts instructor by potential students. “How long is a piece a string”  is probably the most common answer…. I try to equate it with other skills in life. How long does it take to get a degree at university?  If you work hard on a daily basis and attend all your classes and work hard it should take three years. If you wanted to learn to play the piano or guitar, 3 years of daily practise … Continue reading How To Get A Black Belt

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Healing In The Martial Arts

Steve Rowe

If you study Martial Arts for Self Defence…..  What is most likely to kill you?  The answer is of course, bad health – and therefore that should be your first line of defence!  You have to care for your physical, mental and emotional health to be able to deal with any external threat effectively An important day in your life as a Martial Artist is the day you take responsibility for your own well being and training regime. The art of healing is an essential part of your Martial Arts training.  The Japanese say satsu/katsu that it is essentially that … Continue reading Healing In The Martial Arts

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When Your Imaginary Opponent Wins

Steve Rowe

“Tonight is kata…”  We had warmed up performing standing basics, followed by moving basic technique up and down the dojo focusing on individual skills and mindset – and from that work, most of has deduced what the rest of the content of the class would be.  Sensei gazed around at the brown and black belt class… “Last week we worked on ‘kushanku’ – a system kata in our style and this week we will work on the other major ‘system’ kata…  can anyone tell me what it is?” The hands shot up.  Sensei had always taken the time to explain … Continue reading When Your Imaginary Opponent Wins