Something to Talk About

After my Jiu-Jitsu brothers open their new BJJ school and I start training there, I'll still be affiliated with Sho-Rei-Shobu-Kan through Karate, but Shihan said I will not be allowed to train Jiu-Jitsu at the dojo anymore, nor will I be allowed to come back if I decide to leave their school, or if it closes down. I assumed this meant that Ethridge Jiu-Jitsu class would soon be ending, but today Shihan said that Amy can still teach Joe and I at the dojo on Sundays, so I am very grateful for that. I would have missed Amy a lot!

It's nice that I'll still be able to practice Jiu-Jitsu with Joe other than at home, since he is not going to be joining me at the new school. Most of the time we train in separate classes at the dojo, and then when we get home, we both want to tell the other about our class! I usually try to listen and wait patiently for my turn, only occasionally interrupting him with random exclamations like "I almost took Conan's back!". It's nice when we can actually train together, and then discuss it afterward. Today I convinced Joe to go to the no gi Jiu-Jitsu class with me before our Ethridge class, so when we got home we had a lot to talk about!

When we go to different classes, Joe and I will also sometimes try to show or tell each other new things that we worked on that day. When he talks to me about a new Judo throw he learned, it often sounds like "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." (and I'm sure that's also probably what it sounds like to him when I tell him about things like de la riva or berimbolo ;). I guess we're both just really lucky that we have someone to talk to about our training who mostly understands. Even if Joe and I never talked about anything else but martial arts for the rest of our lives, I don't think we would ever run out of things to talk about.

The Whisper Game

As the Sho-Rei-Shobu-Kan webmistress, Shihan has given me permission to film and upload videos from the dojo at my discretion for all of the arts, except for Karate and Kobudo. He is very selective in what he wants shared publicly from those two arts. We are also not supposed to talk about any of our specific training or methodology regarding them, which is why I don't discuss those sort of things. It's basically like Shihan thinks of training in traditional budo as a version of the whisper game, and the farther you are away from the original source, the less valid the information is likely to be. Master Miyagi created Goju-Ryu, he taught it to Master Toguchi, and Master Toguchi taught it to Shihan Roseberry, so we are about as old school as it gets! Even if all the answers could be found on the internet, Shihan doesn't want us to look for them there.

 Sho-Rei-Shobu-Kan Media Policy 

The coming of the information age, with its various media of video, print and the Internet, has presented novel issues for the traditional budo organization, not foreseen by past practitioners and teachers in the budo. Therefore, a policy regarding such matters is particularly important for an organization that holds as one of its goals, the continued practice/preservation of traditional Japanese and Okinawan martial arts. It is the philosophy of the Sho-Rei-Shobu-Kan organization that a traditional budo organization educate its members/students via direct teacher-student interaction, with the ultimate aim being a learning process facilitated via actual, physical instruction and execution of its curricula. As part of this philosophy, the SRSBK organization limits distribution of its curricula to members of its organization who are actively training in its traditional arts, and does so solely via actual, in-person, training and instruction. Shihan has said many times that “the answers are on the floor.” One of the things that he means by this is that by spending time with the materials of our system, and actively performing them, many answers to the student’s questions will become apparent. 

Our system is rich in sequences requiring the use of a partner. One of the reasons for this is that physical training with a living partner is an essential element of learning and obtaining proficiency in the budo. It is literally a “hands-on” process. Understandably, branch members may frequently be great distances from a sensei who can provide them with answers to specific questions. In that instance, the preferred solution is to come to the sensei, or to bring the sensei to the student. 

With that said, it is the policy of the SRSBK budo organization that it require its members to abstain from publishing materials detailing the execution of its varied curriculum, such as kata, kiso kumite, kata bunkai, or other pre-arranged drill sequences. This abstention requirement includes all “empty-hand” as well as “kobudo” or “weapon” materials within both its Goju-Ryu Karate and Matayoshi Kobudo programs. For purposes of this policy, publication shall include, Internet posting of video, Internet posting of written descriptions or “how to” sequences, and other public distribution of recorded media of the above mentioned materials, via CD, DVD, VHS tape or via other data recording means, as well as distribution of print media, such as books, magazine articles, etc. detailing the execution of said materials. 

Finally, SRSBK members are asked to remember that they are representatives to the public of the organization as a whole. As such, while conducting themselves, they should be mindful of traditional budo etiquette, including the “Notions for Training.” Noteworthy among these ideals, in this context, are those of modesty and preserving/upholding our system. One should foster a sense of discretion regarding one’s training or abilities. As an analogy, traditional etiquette says that when leaving the dojo, the student should not openly display one’s obi. The reasons for this etiquette are twofold: (1) showing off one’s obi is immodest and reflects poorly upon the student’s teacher and the student’s system, and (2) doing so invites conflict or challenges from individuals outside of the dojo. By extension, our practitioners should refrain from unnecessary publication of their abilities or our curricula. As an organization operating under the model of a traditional Japanese or Okinawan ryu, the SRSBK budo organization functions via a hierarchical system. The location of governance of this hierarchy is the hombu dojo, headed by Shihan John Roseberry. Therefore, when in doubt about activities involving the aforementioned materials, members should consult with the hombu dojo.

More than a Woman

Shihan is the one standing on the right,
with his gi top partially open.

Shihan has a group picture of the Sho-Rei-Kan dojo from 1959, and when I first saw it I was surprised that there were a couple of women in it. Sometimes I wonder what it was like for them, training martial arts in Japan in the 1950s. I can't imagine their path was an easy one.

For all the complaints women might have today; that there aren't enough of us training or competing, that we don't always get the same respect as the men; we still have it a lot better than our foremothers did. If not for them blazing the trail, our acceptance would be that much more difficult.

Warrior women in Japan were actually somewhat common at one point, which Sensei Gary talks about in his article Onna Bugeisha: The First Female Martial Artists of Japan. Unfortunately, misogyny took over, and it still has a hold to this day, as evidenced by the initial refusal to award Keiko Fukuda-Sensei a 10th dan in Judo, simply for being a woman. Thankfully, she did receive that acknowledgement before her death last month. She gave her entire life to Judo, and I think she deserved better in return.

None of my teachers at the dojo have ever treated me as "less than" because I'm a woman (some of the students, yes, but never the teachers). I have always been awarded the same respect for the amount of work I put in. I appreciate that my Sensei understand gender isn't what makes or breaks a fighter. Woman sweat the same, we bleed the same, and we feel the same pain as the men. The only real difference is, whether we like it or not, we fight for all womankind.

Rosenberry the Immortal

The other day someone came to this blog by searching "what happens to sho rei shobu kan if shihan rosenberry dies". First of all, why do so many people think Shihan's last name is Rosenberry? Seriously, people are constantly calling him that! I even argued with someone about it once, but I know his last name is spelled Roseberry, because I spell good (although my grammar may need a little work ;).

Secondly, I have to commend the question asker's optimism with the use of the word "if" instead of "when", because it implies that they think Shihan might never die! He's about to turn 78, and he hasn't even retired yet, so we can only hope!

I knew the dojo had fully infiltrated Skyler's brain when she
accidentally called our raspberry bush a roseberry bush!

Lastly, in the event that John Roseberry-Shihan is not, in fact, immortal, I want to answer the question that was posed. Shihan has already "officially" stepped down as head of the Sho-Rei-Shobu-Kan Budo Organization, and he named John Pitts-Sensei as his successor, so logistically not much will change. Shihan has taken the steps necessary to make sure that his knowledge, spirit, and legacy will live on long after he's gone.

When an animal dies, it leaves it's fur;

When a man dies, he leaves his name;

When a teacher dies, he teaches death.

-Master Seikichi Toguchi 1917-1998

Founder of Sho-Rei-Kan

Crossing Bridges

I guess you could say that it's tradition for Karate black belts at Roseberry's to cross-train, because almost all of us are belted in one or more additional arts, usually Judo and/or Kobudo. Mine is obviously Jiu-Jitsu, and my husband's is Daitoryu Aikijujitsu and Judo. Shihan himself holds dan rank in Karate, Judo, Daitoryu Aikijujitsu, and Aikido.

There are many reasons why Shihan encourages cross-training. Of our style of Goju-Ryu, he often says "It's all in there", meaning it includes many of the things that are in the other arts, but we don't always have time to practice all of them to proficiency, so cross-training can help you understand those aspects better. Each one of the arts is specialized, so they focus on different things, and to be a complete martial artist Shihan believes it's important to have a working knowledge outside of your specialty. It's one thing to be told that a movement from a kata is supposed to be a throw, and quite another to be able to figure it out yourself because you've done enough throwing that you can see and feel it. He doesn't want us to be "jack of all trades and master of none", but he does want us to explore.

One memorable cross-training story from our Daitoryu Aikijujitsu instructor, Gary Gabelhouse-Sensei, involves his early Daitoryu training in Japan. He was already a black belt in Goju-Ryu at the time, and while sparring he used a technique from one of our kiso. He was immediately stopped and asked "Where you learn?" Gary said he learned it in Karate, and the teacher responded "This is advanced Daitoryu technique, you don't use until I teach it to you!"

Another reason Shihan wants his students to cross-train is because he wants people from the different arts to get to know one other. Otherwise, there is little interaction between the groups. Due to my having attended almost every class in the dojo at one point or another, I know people from every art, but most of them don't know each other. I'm a white belt in Judo, but I know enough about it to be able to work the table at tournaments, and some of our Judo students have helped out during Karate and Jiu-Jitsu tourneys. Shihan wants the dojo to be one big happy family, and cross-training can help achieve that.

Don't know what you've got 'til it's gone

Joe said that sometimes you don't know how special something is until it's over, and I was pretty sure I knew the particular thing he was talking about, so I asked "Do you mean sparring class?" and he said "Yes". What made Sensei Dave O.'s sparring class so awesome is not just the teacher himself, but the people who attended week after week during those years. Every once in awhile a group of people come together at just the right place and time. The level of trust and respect among the students of that class is something I have never felt anywhere else. We had a lot of fun while beating each other up!

There's no question that class formed a large part of my martial identity. So many of my "firsts" took place there. My first black eye, the first time I threw up during training, the first experience I had with mat work. It was also the first place where I could really see that my training was paying off. I learned so much from that class, and many of the ideas I have towards training come directly from Sensei Dave himself.

I don't know where I would be right now without having attended that class, without that group of people who encouraged, supported, and guided me from the very beginning of my training. I seriously doubt I would be doing Jiu-Jitsu (Dave was big on cross-training!). Each of the sparring class regulars still holds a special place in my heart, although I rarely see most of them anymore. Some have moved away, and others are focusing on different aspects of their life right now.

We attended a reception on Saturday for Shihan's wedding, and Sensei Dave was there. It was bittersweet, because while it's always good to see him, it was also reminder of what once was, but will never be again. I don't think I appreciated his class as much as I should have at the time, because I didn't realize just how special it was.

People are People

I've been told that the most important etiquette in the dojo is "Treat your seniors with respect and your juniors with kindness." The devil's advocate in me wants to ask "So, if your juniors don't respect you, does that mean you don't have to be kind to them?", but it's a stupid question, because I already know the answer.

I always try to treat everyone in the dojo with respect and kindness, unless they give me a good reason not to (and even then I usually err on the side of caution). I believe every person deserves to be treated well, regardless of their rank or ability. I respect the effort as much as the result, and I try to be kind with people's feelings as well as to their bodies. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes, and we can help each other learn from them.

Outside of the dojo, it's the same for me, people are people. Everyone is struggling on some path of their own, and if we all showed more kindness and respect to each other, it would make all of our lives better. Taking the high road isn't always the easiest route, but I think it has the biggest payoff.

G.I. Ginger

During Jiu-Jitsu class yesterday, one of the white belts asked if I used to be in the military. I was surprised by the question, it's certainly not something people usually ask me. I don't know what prompted it, but maybe the fact that I did three one-handed push-ups on each arm had something to do with it! We were supposed to do five on each arm, but whatever. In response to his question I simply said "No" but what I was thinking was "Oh, hell no!".

I've never been a soldier, but I was raised by one, and like many military parents, my dad wanted his daughters to follow in his footsteps, but we did not. I wasn't even remotely interested, but I think if my sister Lori had it to do all over again, she would probably join up. She's now married to a Seabee who was recently deployed. The Army brat in me wants to give him a hard time about being in the Navy, but hey, at least it's not the Air Force! I jest, but I thank him for his service, and I look forward to his safe return.

G.I. gi

Even though I never wanted to enlist, there are many similarities between the military and martial arts training, which makes sense to me, not only because most of the American MA pioneers were military men (including John Roseberry-Shihan, Marine), but also because it's all about mortal combat, right? We wear uniforms that signify our rank, we salute/bow, and we operate on a hierarchy, just to name a few of the things we have in common.

So, I guess in some small way, I did follow in my father's footsteps, and I know he would be proud and happy. However, if the dojo really was the military, I would've probably been dishonorably discharged for insubordination by now. There's only so much authority I can take!  

"I fight authority, authority always wins 

Well, I fight authority, authority always wins 

Well, I've been doing it since I was a young kid, I come out grinnin' 

Well, I fight authority, authority always wins." -John Mellencamp

All the Small Things

Change sometimes happens so slowly that it's hard to notice day by day, but over time it becomes measurable.  If you see a child daily for five years, you don't notice them growing as much, but if you had not seen them during that time, they would seem much different five years later.

That is how it's been for me with martial arts.   In my everyday training, it's hard for me to see myself improving, but the accumulated difference from when I started is remarkable.  If I had not seen myself for the past several years, today I would be looking at a person who is noticeably different from the one I was.  Even all the small things add up to make a big difference.

Since I've been sick this week and I can't go to the dojo, I've been trying to keep my spirits up by reflecting on some of the small changes that martial arts has helped make in me. I want to recognize some of the things that I couldn't do when I started, but I now can.

One of those small things is a headstand.  The first time Conan had us do headstands in Jiu-Jitsu class, I could barely get my legs up, let alone keep them there.  When I tried to do it, I just toppled right over.  I had no real understanding of my own balance.  Of course I wasn't going to let a silly headstand beat me, so I started practicing them on my own, and now I can headstand all day long!  Not literally, but I can stay up for a really long time, and I can even move my legs all around without falling over.   I can now understand and control my balance.

The Doggfather recently mentioned that some BJJ schools will not give you a black belt if you can't do a headstand from the full lotus position, so I decided to see if I could do it, and I can!  A few years ago, it would have been impossible for me. Then Ray challenged me to do a handstand from there, and well...I guess that's the next obstacle I have to work on.  One small thing at a time.

One of Shihan's favorite sayings is "reward yourself", and since my normal tendency leans more towards "punish yourself", I don't often give myself credit for the things I accomplish. So, congratulations to me for conquering headstands!  No change is too small to celebrate, they all add to the big picture.

"Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na.  Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na..." -Blink 182

I Don't Know

My Jiu-Jitsu instructor Conan recently told me that he doesn't "know" anything about Jiu-Jitsu, he just has some "ideas".  I think that's a great attitude to have towards training, and life in general.  Sometimes what we "know" can get in the way of our learning, by limiting our receptiveness to other points of view, or causing us to stop examining our knowledge and growing.

I believe Conan's statement also reflects maturity.  It seems as though those who are younger, in actual age or in training time, are more likely to want to cling to the comfort of feeling as though they know something.  With time comes the realization that not everything is always so clear-cut, and what we know might not be so absolute.  Martial arts are not an exact science, and what works for (or against) one person might not work for (or on) someone else.  Even when you think you have perfected a technique, it's often possible that you can still make it better, you never know.

"Knowing" means there is nothing else to learn, but having "ideas" leaves room for improvement.  If as a black belt Conan doesn't know anything about Jiu-Jitsu, then it's obvious that I still don't have the slightest clue.  I have an understanding on how some things work, but I am always trying to see beyond my own limited knowledge.  I never say I "know" martial arts, instead I say I "train" or "practice".  The longer I train, and the older I get, the less I know...but the more ideas I have to work with.

"Don't believe everything you know."

Crazy

Shihan always tries to cancel class on the holidays, but half of the time some students want to meet at the dojo to train anyway.  I don't think everyone realizes that he actually wants us to take time off, which is one of the reasons he canceled class in the first place.  Shihan recently told Joe a story about how back in the day he would be thinking about a technique or theory, and he would be so obsessed that he would wake his wife up in the middle of the night to help him work on it.  Sometimes he would even make her put on a gi.  Now reflecting back on it, his advice to Joe was "Don't do that, that's crazy!".

Joe and I did get into a grip-fighting contest (which I won ;) over a garbage bag while we were at a family party on Christmas Eve, but otherwise our holiday was free of martial arts.  Since we have a home mat and an available partner, we can train any time we want, but it's good for our relationship, and each of us individually, to not always be focused on it.

I received a new Judo gi as a gift from Joe (since my old one is shredded), and we also gave a gi to our four year-old grandson, so it's obvious that martial arts are a big part of our lives.  Not a day goes by that Joe and I don't discuss our training in some form or another, but we try to not overdo it.  I think both of us realized a long time ago that if we were to ever wake the other one up in the middle of the night to help us work on something, we've gone too far.  If Joe tried to wake me up to train, I'd be like "Who you trying to get crazy with, ese?  Don't you know I'm loca?".

I think you have to be at least a little bit crazy to train martial arts in the first place.  I understand the obsession, so it's not surprising to me that the some students have such a hard time taking a break, but a couple of days off never killed anyone.  I can't stand it when I can't train because of an injury, but I realize that sometimes it's necessary.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and it gives the mind, body, and spirit time to rest.

"I've always been different, with one foot over the line
Winding up somewhere, one step ahead or behind
It ain't been so easy, but I guess I shouldn't complain
I've always been crazy, but it's kept me from going insane." 

-Waylon Jennings

Ask Me About My Bruises

A couple of years ago I bought an awesome t-shirt from Eric Parsons, a member of our SRSK Karate Organization, who is based out of Missouri.  He is the head of the Karate 4 Life Foundation, a non-profit that promotes life skills development and helps battle HIV/AIDS in Uganda, through martial arts.  They've been selling the t-shirts to raise funds, and I bought one because I believe in their cause, and I also really like the shirt! 

I figured having a shirt that says "ask me about my bruises" might at least cut down on the number of strangers looking at me with pity, and at most allow me to talk to people about martial arts.  So far Conan is the only person to ever actually ask me about my bruises when I was wearing the shirt, and he was just being a smartass, because he's probably the one who gave them to me.

Now the legendary Master Ken has given his approval to Karate 4 Life, and he featured the t-shirts in one of his videos!  Master Ken doesn't often advertise t-shirts, but when he does, they have a greater purpose.

Blame it on anime

I was once given "dojo homework" by Sensei Giles that consisted of watching the movie Billy Jack.  He couldn't believe that I had never seen it, and he told me it was what inspired him to start training martial arts.

I can personally attest that Sensei Giles can, in fact, do that.

I've heard many people say it was a movie or TV show that first caused them to become interested in training.  I think my husband's might have been the show Kung Fu (and/or professional wrestling).  For myself, there was no such inspiration, my own curiosity was actually sparked a long time ago by a self-defense class at my school, but it lay dormant for many years.  

Then one day about eight years ago, my daughter expressed an interest in learning Karate.  Joe and I decided to along for the ride, and the rest is history.  There is no doubt in my mind that Skyler's desire to train was brought on by her total and complete obsession with Japanese manga and anime, which persists to this day, although her latest fixation is Homestuck, which she points out is not manga or anime, because it's not Japanese, and it's a "web comic".

So, anime is indirectly responsible for me starting training.  If it wasn't for my daughter's anime obsession that started when she was about five, there's a good chance my interest in training would've remained unfulfilled.  I don't really share her love of manga and anime, but I can appreciate it, and I like that it caused her to become interested in cultures other than her own (especially Hetalia!), and how it even led to her raising money to go to Japan for a couple of weeks when she was in middle school.  Our tastes may differ, but Skyler and I both love comics and cartoons!

My favorite martial arts scene from a manga (neither Skyler nor I can remember which one) involves a group of martial artist heroes who had just finished a session of intense training.  As they were leaving the dojo, they encountered a person in distress who needed their help.  They responded "Sorry, we really want to help you, but we are all just too damn tired from training!".

Plain

"All I can say is that my life is pretty plain, I like watching the puddles gather rain." -Shannon Hoon 

At our school they don't really tell you what the notions for training mean, I guess it's up to you figure it out for yourself. Most of them seem pretty self-explanatory, but some are a little more obscure. One of them in particular intrigues me "Live a plain life".

Google defines plain:

Adjective: Not decorated or elaborate; simple or ordinary in character.

Adverb: Clearly; unequivocally (used for emphasis).

Noun: A large area of flat land with few trees.

I think I live a fairly plain life. I live in a plain house on a plain street in a plains state.  I drive a plain vehicle, I wear plain clothes, and I have plain tastes. My husband knows better than to buy me fancy jewelry, because I won't wear it.  I don't even wear my wedding rings all of the time, I prefer to be unadorned.  I also try to be plain in my words and deeds. Even when I write about complicated things, I usually try to make them plain.

Being plain makes life a little easier, because there's less interference in dealing with what really matters. While it may seem boring to some, plain is actually a liberating way to live.

 "If I had a point, I'd say it plain." -Nick Hexum

American Idiot

I probably could've participated in the entire Midwest Convention yesterday, and went to Jiu-Jitsu class today, if I was not so incredibly stupid.  I had been doing a good job of protecting my injured calf at the beginning of the workout,  I was modifying the drills so that the injury was painful but bearable.  Then I let my pride get the better of me.

About three hours into it, we were practicing fitting in and lifting for a hip toss, and I was not bending my knees as much as I should've been, because it was causing pain to both my calf and knee (yeah, that's still not fully healed, either).  My partner was smaller than me (for a change), so to properly do the throw I had to be very low.  I quickly realized that was not going to work with my injury, so I was just doing the best I could.  Then an instructor came over and chided me for not going low enough, and when I told him I was compensating for an injury, he gave me a look that I interpreted to mean "You're just making excuses".  That caused my ego to feel the need to prove that I did know how to do the throw.  Can you guess what happened next?

If you said "You were a dumbass and tweaked your injury while doing the throw, causing you to miss out on the entire rest of the days training.", then you are correct.  "You were an idiot." would have also been acceptable.  Do not do as I have done.

My mom thinks I'm an idiot for putting an anaconda around
my neck, but I had to, because a boy dared me.
She doesn't understand how dares work!

John Roseberry-Shihan's Notions for Training:

Be modest and polite.

Take care of your health.

Train yourself considering your physical strength.

Do not be too proud or too modest.

Be gentle but also swift.

Live a plain life.

Continue your training without idleness.

Cast about the search earnestly.

Steal my Sunshine

I was recently reading through an old SRSK newsletter, and there was an article about kigurai by Superman Sensei that keeps popping back into my mind. I wish I could reprint the entire article, because it is a concept I find hard to explain.  

"Kigurai is a Japanese word meaning to be proud, or to have poise and dignity. It involves elevating ourselves above the things in life that sometimes seem to try to drag us down, or tarnish our attempts to live a life that rises above the petty failings we all share." -EV

One of the things the article said was that a worthwhile goal of a martial artist is to learn to not sink to the level of those who would try to bring us down, because it distracts us from our goal. To act with aggression towards someone who is being aggressive towards us only takes away our dignity. The confidence we possess must be able to withstand the attempts by others to undermine it, no matter how mean-spirited those attempts may be. In order to have true respect for others, we must first have self-respect, and that involves only the need to prove your worth to yourself, not anyone else. There will always be people in our lives who try to bring out the worst in us, and maintaining our poise is one of the best ways to defeat that.

When I was having problems with a particular new student in Jiu-Jitsu class, Conan told me that I should not allow them to "get" to me, and he said that in his job as a police officer he frequently deals with people who try everything they can to get a rise out of him, but he is not allowed, under any circumstances, to sink to their level. No matter how rude they are to him, he has to treat them with respect, and he can't let them get under his skin. I believe that is a excellent example of kigurai.  It is a quiet form of confidence, and it doesn't need action, or reaction, to make itself known.

We cannot control how others treat us, the only thing we can control is how we react to it.  From now on no matter how hard people try to make me feel inadequate, to elevate themselves by bringing me down, I will not let them. No one is ever going to steal my sunshine from me again.

"I was lying on the grass on Sunday morning of last week, indulging in my self-defeat...
And of course you can't become if you only say what you would have done, so I missed a million miles of fun." -Len

Teach Your Children

I haven't really taught kids at the dojo for awhile, and last Friday when I went in to help Joe with his Halloween class, I realized how much I miss it. Even though I've only given birth to one child, throughout my life I've spent a lot of time caring for children. I started babysitting when I was fourteen, and I spent many of my summer breaks from school doing full-time daycare. I also worked as a paraeducator for Head Start for a few years, and I still occasionally help my friends and family with child care.  I enjoy working with kids.

When I was growing up I was sometimes bullied, and I would often form closer relationships with the adults in my life than with other children. Almost all of the adults who I befriended, even those I didn't meet through school, were teachers. It's no coincidence that whenever anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said "a teacher".

I know that some of our youth Karate students started training because they were being bullied, and I know that martial arts can help give them the tools to deal with that. I've seen what training did for my own daughter; how it gave her the confidence to be comfortable in her own skin, and to not let anyone push her around. If one of those teachers that I was friends with as a child had been a martial artist, I believe it could have helped me a great deal.

I've been away from the youth class for too long, and it's time to go back. I want to make a difference in the lives of children, I want to help them realize their full potential. At Friday's class one of the newer students stuck to me like glue the entire time (I was dressed as a clown, so that might have something to do with it) and when he asked me who I was I said "Gina". Then another student who's been there for awhile said "She's Sensei Gina". Some of the kids have been calling me Sensei since I was a green belt, and it's time for me to start being one for them again.

"Can you hear and do you care and
Can't you see we must be free to
Teach your children what you believe in.
Make a world that we can live in." -CSN and sometimes Y

She's Always a Woman

It never ceases to amaze me when guys who I train with are shocked to find out that I can be girly.  When one of the Daitoryu students saw me with a purse, he said it was weird to see me carrying one.  Sensei Tracey (who is a man) said "Well, what do you expect her to have, a tool belt?".  Later that same student remarked that he thought I was just carrying the purse to use as an "attack bag".

At the last Karate convention, a young man told me he was amazed by the fact that I paint my nails all pretty, since I compete in tournaments.  Apparently those two things are mutually exclusive in his mind.  One day when I was injured I went to Jiu-Jitsu class to take pictures, and I had my hair down, and makeup on.  About halfway through class Adam looked at me and said in astonishment "Oh, it's Gina!"  Up until that point he'd had no idea who the lady walking around the mat taking pictures was.  Amy told me that once when she saw Conan outside of the dojo, he didn't recognize her, because she was wearing high heels.

It seems as though women who train martial arts are often perceived as being less feminine, so I suppose it's shocking for some men to see us when we look more traditionally female.  When I'm training, I actually kind of want the men to forget that I'm a woman, so I guess I shouldn't mind when they do.

I can be a little on the girly side, and I can hold my own in a dojo full of men.  I don't wear makeup when I train, and I don't go around town beating people up with my "attack bag".  There's a time and place for everything, and most people only see one aspect at a time, so I think it sometimes just surprises them to see a different side.

Bring It On Home

When we bought mats for our house six months ago, we didn't really have a good idea as to where to put them, and the only place with enough room was in the home office (which is really just a small area adjacent to the living room).  With the office stuff in there, the mats barely fit, and without a door on the room, it was hard to keep the dogs off of them.  It was kind of a pain to actually use the mats.

Now we've finally made the room fully functional, by moving the office out of there, and building a half-wall to enclose the mats.  We put bamboo railing on the top part of the wall, and we also put a rail across the open side of the mat, to keep the dogs away.  Now the room has become our own personal mini dojo, and I love it! 

I never envisioned that one day I would have a room in my house dedicated to training martial arts, but now it just seems logical.  I'm glad that Joe and I finally came up with a plan and implemented it (ok, he came up with the plan, and he also did most of the work).  It's been a nice project to work on this week while I've been sick and haven't been able to make it to the actual dojo.  Sometimes I find myself just wanting to go sit in there, because the room has such a nice vibe to me now.  I believe our new room is going to get a lot of use!

Respect

One thing that some Roseberry's students do not seem to understand is that our school is NOT run as a business. Shihan has never been a slave to the almighty dollar, and maintaining the integrity of his school is more important to him than making money. A couple of years ago he actually kicked out our entire Aikido class, for not practicing as "realistically" as he wanted. Well, technically he didn't kick them out, he said "Do it my way or leave", and they left.

There was even some talk in the past about turning the dojo into an actual not-for-profit entity, but that would require taking all comers, and Shihan wants to maintain the ability to turns students away if he chooses. What we basically are is a "club", with members pooling their money to keep it running. Unlike a business, that means each person is not simply paying for services rendered, but for the privilege to be a member of the collective. All black belts within our school are given keys to the dojo, and are included in meetings to discuss important decisions.

Being a member of the group also comes with the responsibility to abide by the rules, and to do your part to help keep the school running. The amount of respect given is usually based directly on how well one meets those expectations. If you lose your job and have no money, a business won't let you keep training, but our dojo will, indefinitely, provided you have maintained a good reputation within the group.

We are not "Johnny's Gym", we are "Roseberry's Sho-Rei-Shobu-Kan Martial Arts Center; school of courtesy and manners through the martial way". If Shihan doesn't think you exhibit those characteristics to his satisfaction, you are not going to get the same amount of respect. That's just the way it is.