Redding Shotokan Karate

Congratulations to all the Redding Shotokan members who participated in the Kyu Test on Saturday. My main impression was that you all are seriously studying and trying to become better karateka. I only wish Kai could have been here. He'd have had a blast.

Special thank-you's are in order:

1. Hiroko: Thank you for being such a great teacher. You make an example that the rest of us can only strive to attain - in more than karate!
2. Chuck: I absolutely loved doing kumite with you. You pushed me around like a checkers piece!
3. Darrell: Thanks for a) stepping up to the plate to lead the kids' test. You're a natural leader, and your composure was exemplary. b) doing two sets of basics. As Yana posted in her blog, karate is not an individual effort. It's a community effort - you're affected by all around you. I'm sure you helped Yana express her best by expressing your best with her.
4. Yana and Lynette: Thank you for showing everybody strong and open minds. You both blew everybody away with your kime.

Becoming a better karateka also means becoming a better person - you can't do one without doing the other at the same time, whether you realize it or not. If you have the pleasure of meeting some of our Yodans and Godans, you'll know what I'm talking about. Mr. Ohshima constantly reminds us to face ourselves unyieldingly. Don't accept less than your best from yourself. When Hiroko says, "Get down lower!" we should not say to ourselves, "I can't! It hurts!" Instead we should just get down lower. No arguments, no complaints. When we face one of our seniors and we know we're going to lose our lunch or perhaps our teeth, we should not let them know that's what we think and feel. When we practice basics, we should enjoy that practice - even when we really want to practice some jiyu-kumite. If I'm hoping to learn a new kata, and instead we practice Taikyoku Shodan, I need to practice perfect gedan barai and oizuki, never mind the new kata I had my heart set on.

That's my eternal struggle.

My previous sensei, Jim Dunlop, had a saying for everything, and not a day goes by without me remembering something he said. Last night, I remembered, "It's easy when it's easy."

This means that you gain nothing by doing something that comes easily. If it happens to be convenient to come to class, or perhaps you only come to class when you feel really good, you gain far less than you would if you had to sacrifice something else to be there, or perhaps you felt "achy-breaky" or had a rough day at work, or even had a little cold (don't come kiai on people if you're contagious!!! - that has to do with respect, a completely different subject!).

So practice even when you don't feel like it. Or perhaps I should say, practice especially when you don't feel like it.

It's easy when it's easy.