Tag: steve rowe

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Magpies and Monkeys

Steve Rowe

Ooohhh…… shiny object…. Damn.. I was supposed to be meditating, Then I started thinking about that argument, Then what I was having for dinner, And then… oh well it doesn’t matter. How can I think of nothing? Surely that’s a thought in itself? And if I don’t know when my mind wanders, How can I bring it back? I feel like have a monkey on my back, Always chattering in my ear, Finding things for me to think about, When I’m supposed to be concentrating on one thing. Single whip again in Tai Chi, damn! It occurs in the form … Continue reading Magpies and Monkeys

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Move Like A Porsche

Steve Rowe

“Straighten the front foot, move from the Seiki Tanden, circle the foot through a line dropped from the hip, put the bodyweight through the power point on the foot, sink the chest to find the feet, tuck in the tailbone and stretch the neck as you would touch the opponent and apply the movement……..” We were working on Sanchin Kata and Sensei was working our “brain muscle” hard. “What’s the hardest muscle in the body to train?” “The brain muscle Sensei!” we all chorused, familiar with question. “Then why aren’t you using it?” “It’s too hard to think of all … Continue reading Move Like A Porsche

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The Aliens have Landed!

Steve Rowe

The Aliens have landed! The mysterious spaceship lands, The leaders of humanity arrive to greet it, At last, we get to know what’s out there… The crowds gather, Everyone waits expectantly, The doors ‘woosh’ open, And perfectly circular beings roll out.. The Prime Minister steps forward and extends a hand, The circle recoils, gathers itself and moves forwards; “Sorry, your appearance is terrifying…. And I was taken aback.” “You have tentacles – and tentacles on tentacles, Eyes that swivel and scary teeth when you smile. You look shaven with ugly bits of hair in strange places and move strangely; We … Continue reading The Aliens have Landed!

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Arrogance At Black Belt

Steve Rowe

“Hey!”  It was Manfred, we hadn’t seen him for ages, he passed Shodan several years ago and had trained only sporadically since, but he was a happy guy and it was always pleasant to see him. “How’s it going?”  I asked. “Not bad, fathered another rugrat since I saw you last, got promoted at work and been working out in the garage when I had the time, how’s things with you?” “Yeah, OK…..”  I hadn’t the time or the heart to even begin to tell him how much study and change he had missed. “Thought I’d get back to it … Continue reading Arrogance At Black Belt

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Soft And Slow Or Efficient…

Steve Rowe

Another visitor to the Dojo, as we were changing, the visitor explained that he had trained with all the “best” instructors for over 15 years and liked to “travel” around to see what each Sensei had…… He had heard of our Sensei “on the grapevine” and wanted to check him out.  He then went on to pull each senior Sensei to pieces and thought that the majority of them were overrated.  As he put on his somewhat “designer scruffy” (and smelly) Karategi we could see that it had “designer” blood stains strategically placed to impress….. He obviously did a lot … Continue reading Soft And Slow Or Efficient…

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Invest In Loss..

Steve Rowe

“OK, line up sparring.” My favourite.  We form two lines down the centre of the Dojo facing each other and then spar with the person that you are facing.  After a couple of minutes we stop and the person at the end of one line goes up to the other end and everyone in that line moves down one person.  This way you get to spar with every person in the other line. It was inevitable that John and Vince two of our 2nd Dans would end up facing each other. They just didn’t like each other, nothing was ever … Continue reading Invest In Loss..

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Martial Arts Are Defensive

Steve Rowe

Martial Arts Are Defensive ‘Budo’ and ‘Wu Shu’ mean ‘to stop the spear’. In Iaido we have a reluctance to draw the sword. ‘Satsu katsu’ means ‘life giving and life taking’, When forced to draw we kill. ‘Karate Ni Sentenashi’ means ‘there is no first attack in karate’. When forced to defend, we move decisively. The Martial Arts are defensive, But that does not make them weak. Martial artists train every day, Along with courage, resolve and determination, We foster patience, kindness and compassion, Martial arts training make us good people. If the Martial Arts were aggressive, That would make … Continue reading Martial Arts Are Defensive

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Chinto Kata (Gankanku)

Steve Rowe

“I hate kata!”  Peter was obviously not in a good mood and the days course today was on kata…… “So why bother to attend?”  I asked. “Because if we don’t it will affect our grading….” Peter was not going to be a bundle of laughs today so I made sure that I was as far away as possible so that I wouldn’t have to partner him in any pairs work. Sensei entered the Dojo, conducted the formalities and began the course…. “Chinto Kata, what do you know about it?” “It’s a Crane Kata,” said one. “Good, what else?” “It’s called … Continue reading Chinto Kata (Gankanku)

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The Yin Factor

Steve Rowe

Men fight to protect their ego, Women to protect their family, Men beat their chests and shout, Women prepare to be deadly. Men move from the heart, Women from the womb, Men use their chest and shoulders, Women their legs and middle. Men use strength and power, Women weapons and fluidity. Men drink with their opponents after battle, Women leave them dead. Martial arts are more yin than yang, They are quiet and deadly, They use skill rather than force, And are more defensive than offensive. Martial arts rely on internal connection, Their strength comes from the legs and core. … Continue reading The Yin Factor

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Tai Chi Does You…

Steve Rowe

For many years I trained in Boxing, Kickboxing and the hard styles of Karate, all my training was directed towards my mind and spirit overcoming the pain and reluctance of my body, I literally punished and pushed myself for decades!  Today my body pays the price, with joint replacement, nasal surgery and all my old injuries returning to haunt me on a daily basis. Training in Tai Chi totally reversed this thinking.  I was in Hong Kong having a lesson with Ma Lee Yang (Yang Sau Chung’s daughter) when we were discussing the transition from Mol Gik to Tai Gik and then into … Continue reading Tai Chi Does You…