The Mountain of Life

The Mountain of Life

A metaphor for your personal development

 


  I love using the mountain as the metaphor for life.  It just seems to relate very well to the ups and downs of life and how we know that where we are supposed to go is harder than just staying where we are.  As a lover of the hiking and climbing mountains, (on trails not cliffs) I can relate to the feeling of peace at the top of the mountain that accompanies the feeling of accomplishment.  It is also represents a very clear destination for a long journey, instead of aimlessly traveling down a path that you have no idea where it is going.

     I actually came up with the name of my dojo while hiking on the Appalachian trail here in Massachusetts.  I felt an idea start to form and take shape while I was walking along heading up one of the hills.  The Sage Institute of Martial Practice and Life Energy came to my mind like I already knew it and was simply remembering.  The acronym is SIMPLE which refers to my philosophy that smaller machines are less likely to break.  In life it is easier to follow a single path instead of navigating a maze of streets in the big city.  One technique mastered is better than a thousand learned.  I think you get the point.

     Back to the mountain.  The top of the mountain represents enlightenment or full understanding of life.  It also represents the fulfillment of our life goals.  The farther away from the top of the mountain you get the less connected we seem to feel to our higher selves.  Try to imagine what it would be like to have complete clarity is life where you no longer want anything or feel like you are lacking anything.  Imagine crossing all the items off of your life "to do" list and standing on top of that mountain in a level of peace that words can't describe.  If you can grasp that concept then you understand the importance of the mountain and what it represents.

     Down at the bottom of the mountain is where most people live.  Some are there because they haven't looked up yet and seen the mountain.  Others are there because they are just starting their journey and haven't found there way out of the crowd.  Most stay there because it is where they think they are supposed to be.  Lets imagine this like a huge village on the side of the mountain which has vast lands covered with people.  The land on the uphill side of the village is clean and of relative peace compared to the danger and disease located on the farthest down hill part.  People are free to come and go as they please and there are some that venture up the mountain a ways and come back down to the village after a while where is feels more comfortable and safe.  Some people go the other way down the hill deep into the dark and dangerous woods.  Sometimes they come back or perhaps sometimes they don't.

     I think you can see the connection the mountain has to life.  To travel up the mountain is to live a more God like life while going down is a living less God like.  The journey up the mountain from the village takes confidence, perseverance, dedication and faith.  The task requires getting outside your comfort zone and redefining yourself as a "mountain climber".

     As a mountain climber you are going to need a good pair of shoes and a pack filled with skills to help you along the way.  That is what The Sage Institute is all about, helping those who choose to climb the mountain to pack right and to find the right shoes.

Your pack is where you fit your skills.  These skills are what make up your Sage System of martial practice.  You are creating your own personal martial arts system that you are going to use to train your mind, body and spirit for the journey of life on the trails up the mountain.  The skills of your system are based on who you are and what you believe.  They are designed for your physical body type and emotional disposition.  They will be what defines you.  These skills are not necessarily typical martial arts skill.  They can be any life skill that you want to study and improve at that will have value to your life.  Running could be one of your skills or even hunting or dancing.  The skills that you choose will define you but the way you set about mastering them will define them as martial art skills.  (This is true because combat changes depending on what your adversary is.  When you are fighting for clarity it life, you bet dancing can be a weapon you choose) 

The shoes that you wear on your journey are the only things that physically connects you to the mountain.  Your shoes are the vehicle that help you keep moving up.  They represent your own personal faith and belief system.  Choosing the right shoes is a very important part of the journey.  Your shoes may be made up of many different patches of fabric sewed together or a bright and shiny mass produced pair of the shelf at the department store but if they fit you perfectly and you take care of them they will get up to the top.

I hope that I have clarified why I use the mountain as I explain life.  In upcoming blogs I will talk about the pack theory and how to pick your skill as well at the practical parts of building your own system.  Faith alone won't take you all the way to the top just like diet without exercise won't get you into shape.  We have to keep things in balance to keep moving properly.

I understand that this can seem a little complicated but just like learning any skill you have to start by understanding the basics.  When you understand the basics you practice them.  When you are ready you learn more and in tern practice that.  Don't worry about understanding everything at once.  My hope is that you can see the mountain and that you will start packing for the journey.

Thanks again,
Sensei Keith

What is Your Personal Martial Arts System?

What is Your Personal Martial Arts System?

Whether you study a traditional martial art or you just dabble with some techniques that you have seen on television, you have an individual path in the martial arts that is unique to you and only you.  Even if you are in a class of fifty other people who are all doing the exact moves and katas as you are, yours are different then theirs are.  Your techniques might be faster with less strength than the large man practicing behind you.  Of clumsy in comparison to the eight year old kid in front of you.  Both of your techniques might be performed perfectly and yet they are different.

Most systems of learning the martial arts have a master list of moves that the student is taught at each level of training.  One level generally ads upon the last to build you up to be an expert in that system of study.  But even if you follow the lessons to the letter all the way through many years of training and receive your black belt, your personal system of the martial arts will be different from someone else who could have started the exact same day as you did and tested at the same test.  The foundation of Your system might be the traditional system that you studied but Your art is your own.

With the popularity of MMA fighting in the world it has become more accepted to have a martial artist alter their path of training to fill in the holes that they have for their own person style of fighting.  Most fighters would tell you today that no system is perfect for any one person so they have to pick and choose the skills that they need to be successful.

I don't have interest in cage fighting myself but I have been following my own personal system for over thirty years now.  I wasn't able to study at the one and only club we had in my area due to the financial state of my family for more than two months.  I loved the martial arts from the first time I saw them on television and with what little training I received I was hooked.  I took a dirt floored end of the basement of the apartment house we lived in and created my own dojo.  I made a kicking bag out of an old pair of jeans filled with other clothes and rags.  I tied the legs together and wrapped it in about forty rolls of electrical tape.  I then hung it from the sewer pipe to the toilet and I was in business. (I have to say that the plumbing in that house was impressive because I beat that thing up regularly. )

I developed my own system mostly with kicks and punches, as I didn't have anyone willing to let me practice on them.  (I did say willing) I developed great balance and skill but ultimately what I was after was this idea I had of what a black belt was.  I had no way of getting a black belt from a traditional school so I set out creating a list of techniques and mandatory practice requirements for each level so that I could promote myself through my own system.  I set my standards roughly twice as hard as what I knew the standards were for my local club so that I could feel confident in the rank I had. (even if I never told anyone)

I trained for hours every day meeting the requirements that I had set to move myself farther in my system.  I made it into the third degree black belt phase before I graduated from high school and went into the Army.  I was lucky to be stationed in Korea for my first duty assignment and I experience the culture where most of my techniques came from. I got to do some training with the Korean soldiers who seemed to know the martial arts like kids back home knew how to play kickball.

It wasn't till my second assignment in Colorado where I received my formal first and second degree black belts in Tae Kwon Do.  I trained in a couple of different systems while there which only reminded me of the holes in my training.  I was deadly in a kicking contest but a simple body shoot took me out of my element and I was helpless on the ground against someone who knew how to fight there.  Since then I have trained extensively in Jui Jutsu, Aikido, Aikijutsu, Taejutsu and many others to learn the art of fighting on the ground and in close quarters.  It was only because I had received my formal black belts that I felt justified adding  these other systems to my own style of training.

It has not been a respected path to create your own martial arts system, let alone promote yourself to black belt.  That is precisely what I am suggesting that you do with one small change to the plan.  The title of black belt is a very time tested and respected rank for which I have no desire to tarnish.  My suggestion involves levels of training instead of belts. (I will discuss this in another blog)

Before I get to far into that let me explain more about why you should create your own personal system of study.
        First, because every person is different.  They have different talents and natural athletic abilities.  They have different body types from those who are tall and skinny to those of you who are built more like a fire hydrant.  They have different values.  Some are more interested in the spiritual side of training and others are interested more is self defense and street survival.

Second, every person needs to be part of the building process and hold themselves to standards that they set themselves.  They may still be studying traditional arts and using those standards as a base line but they will feel more invested if they place additional standards on their training.

Lastly because perhaps they find yourself in a similar situation that I did where there just isn't a place for them to train in another style of the martial arts.

Ultimately it is about you and your personal growth.  You need to decide what an expert looks like in your system and actively aspire for that in your life.  This include, not only technique, but fitness, diet, spiritual growth educational growth and sharing your journey with others.  Being part of a community of like minded people is essential to your personal growth.  I heard it said that we become the average of the five people that we spend the most time with.  I choose to spend more time with martial artists who value the path to mastery through the simple acts of martial practice.  I hope that this means you.

My wish is that you let this idea roll around in your mind for a while and see if it feels like the right path for you.  Perhaps you are a seasoned martial artist and would be willing to help me build a library of techniques for future students to use to develop their own system.  Either way feel free to send me a message by either commenting here or on my Google plus page.  

Again, I thank you for sticking around and reading this.  I hope that it inspires you to start putting together a list of things that you want to study.  I hope to have some techniques up on YouTube at some point.  But until then Just Keep Climbing.       Keith

The Path Of The Martial Arts Master

The Path Of The Martial Arts Master

I'm sure when you hear the words "Martial Arts Master" you picture some image in your mind of what or who that is.  Your understanding of the term has been influenced by your experiences that put this image in your mind of who or what it is.  Maybe to you there is an image of an old white haired Chinese man hunched over his cane walking down an alley in China.  Or perhaps your image is more modern of Mr Miyagi in the Karate Kid or even Chuck Norris.  Or maybe your image is based upon your own Sensei who has shaped you over many years.  No matter where this image comes from I am going to ask that you "empty your glass" of that image for the rest of this article.  (The expression to "empty your glass" coined by Bruce Lee in reference to forgetting what you already know or think you know about something to make room for a new idea to take its place.)

I ask that you "empty you glass" and be open minded to the idea that you are on this path of the master without feeling like you are not worthy or deserving of such a high honor.  The Path of the Master has more to do with life itself than is does with actual techniques.

"There are many paths up the mountain but the view from the top is the same"

The Path of the Master can be broken down into seven basic steps.  These steps are the foundation of growth for the martial artist.  It is important to note that every person can be a martial artist simply by declaring that they are.  There isn't any secret hand shakes or hidden ceremonies that signifies that you are now a martial artist, You simply decide that you are.

The first step on the path is the Beginner.  This phase of training is where the journey begins with hesitation and doubt as you step out in an unfamiliar direction in life where you really don't know what to expect.  In this phase you try to wrap you head around what is means to be a martial artist and wonder if you have what it takes to become and expert (Black Belt).  During this time you're influenced greatly by those you bow to in class and call Sensei.  This starts the journey of your personal growth and development even if you don't fully understand that at the time.

The second step on the path is the Student.  This is different from the beginner phase in that you now know what you are doing and have an idea where you want to go. Typically the student is motivated by their instructors to keep pursuing the coveted Black Belt.  This title signifies to many the end of the first journey and perhaps the end all together.  It is important to have a positive goal to strive for because a journey without a destination is ensures you will never get where you are going.  Charged with this image in your mind of who you want to be you study hard to move up the ranks to get closer to that prize.

The third step on the path is the Practitioner.  I call is that because it is usually filled with many hours of practice trying to make every technique perfect.  This idea of perfecting every little movement is teaching for more than just kata and technique, it is shaping your mind to strive for that level of perfection in life.  You learn how to look closely at your techniques and determine where they are weak and where they are strong so that you can make the needed corrections.  Can you see the importance this has in your life?

The fourth step is the Expert.  The Black Belt.  This is where you are now rewarded for all that hard work and commitment you have done over these last many years.  With the title comes the respect of your peers as well as the boost to your ego.  Don't get me wrong when I say ego because it is a very motivating force in your life at this point.  You have achieved something great and you deserve the hold your head up high with pride as a member of an elite club of martial arts experts.  

The fifth step on the path is the Sensei.  I use the term Sensei to represent the teacher of a martial arts system.  I know there are many other titles that signify the same thing depending on the nationality of the art that you study and I mean no disrespect.  I use the title Sensei similarly to how every martial art is caller Karate.  The word isn't the important part here, it is the transformation that happens when you take on the responsibility of being that very thing that formulated the image in your mind that started your own journey.  You will now shape the image of all the students that you come in contact with.  This holds you to a standard that pushes you farther down that path of the master than you would if you simply continued to train on your own.

The sixth step is that of the Master.  This part of the training is where you look back at the journey that you have taken and it is clear.  You understand now the importance of all of the steps that you have taken up to this point and it brings a peace and clarity to your life that my words will fall short of describing properly.   I have often described it like this:  
           The journey through life brings you around the base of a great mountain.  Some choose to try to climb to the top of the mountain to fully understand the world in which they live.  There are many paths up this mountain and all of them are long and hard.  There are many points along the way where is would be easier to just turn around and go back down.  For those who persevere they will come to a point on the mountain where the cross the tree line into the clear rocky top of the mountain.  This is where you become a master.  The air is clearer and you can actually see the top of the mountain.  You can also see the paths below you on the mountain with all the other students struggling for every step as they climb.  You have a choice to continue on to the top of the mountain to see the magnificent view or you can turn back and help the rest of the people on the mountain find their way to the top.   No matter which you choose you find yourself on the seventh step on your path:    The Beginner.

This time you have no doubt of hesitation.  You came to the top of the tree line and discovered that the best view in this world is the one that looks inward into yourself and now the one from the top of the mountain.

You can make this journey.  A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.  I encourage you to take that step and the one after that.  Start your journey up the mountain today.  The system that you study isn't important.  What is important is that you study.  I believe that there is a new revolution coming to the martial arts with this wonderful age of information.  We will be once again in a place where people can create their own martial arts systems based on there personal style and body composition.  MMA isn't just for cage fighting.  Mix your own system of study and keep your feet moving upward on this mountain of life.  I hope to help you along the way and to stand on the top with you staring out over the horizon. 

Happy Climbing,  
Sensei Keith