I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Be safe enjoy the little things in life. It’s the little things that seem to have little or no significant value that we learn to cherish the most later in life.
I was asked if my martial arts training was a hobby or a way of life in my previous bulletin. Well, it could be a hobby for some. In my case, it’s a Way of Life, and I think I can speak for many others who are true practitioners of martial arts.
A way of life can be an important activity, Job, etc., thus affecting all parts of someone’s life. If you have chosen martial arts as a way of life, Then It’s paramount that you receive proper training.
I am taking a quote from a movie. “No such thing as bad student, only bad teacher. Teacher say, student do.” Guess the movie.
Let’s assume you have a very knowledgeable martial arts instructor, who concentrates on kihon and waza and can explain In detail the mechanical and anatomical concepts of the martial arts followed by the proper mental and physical conditioning.
With this type of training, you should be able to, in time, integrate your martial arts to almost every facet of your daily life including your job, hobbies, etc. and even your marriage if you have one.
I challenge you to see if you can find anything you do in life that you cannot relate to your martial arts training. If you do, “Tell me what it is, and I will see if I can help you.”
I have had these questions asked more times than I can count. How do I know what I do is right or if it works? I could write a book on this subject. But let me try to make it uncomplicated.
Three words come to my mind: Instinctive, Reaction -time, and Reflexes
Instinctive: “A behavior that is not learned, but you already know how to do it for the first time.”
Reaction- time. “A reflexive reaction or movement that occurs immediately in response to something that happens.” Thus Reaction-time is a learned process.
Reflexes. Reflexes are involuntary movements to stimuli. Example: Your eyes will blink if someone throws a punch to your eyes.
Don’t mistake Reaction time with Reflexes. Both may work to keep you safe in most situations but at the same time may cause injury.
NOTEWORTHY:
Reflexes and instinctive reactions aren’t affected by lifestyle choices or mental prowess. That is not the case with reaction times. Your ability to react quickly can wane over time, and your brain naturally gets slower as you age due to impairment and degeneration. Poor health and lifestyle choices can exacerbate the problem as well. That is why it’s essential, as I mentioned in my previous bulletin. “You can’t level up if you don’t try to maintain a healthy lifestyle.”
By becoming a “Proactive Martial Artist,” you will answer the question. How do I know what I do is right or if it works?
Proactive: as defined in martial arts. Serving to prepare for, intervene in, or control an expected occurrence or situation, especially a negative or difficult one.
To be a Proactive Martial Artist, you must increase your Reaction-time.
To speed up your reaction time is to train your body physically to perform the responses you want your body to make. This can only be done by performing drills over and over again. The more you train your movements, the stronger your connections to your brain and your body movements will be. “Shin Gi Tai.” Mind, Technique, Body.
The Japanese had the word “Mushin”. If you have seen the movie “The Last Samurai,” you will see how Mushin works. Go to the fighting seen in the street where it becomes a life or death situation. Notice the camera shows the attack at average speed. After the fight, there is a repeat of the fight scene but in slow motion. This is Mushin at work.
Mushin is a Japanese martial arts term used to describe the concept of “no-mind” or “mind without mind.” This is the ability to act and react intuitively without hesitation or active thought.
Train your Shi Gi Tai. Mind, technique, body. And in time, you may develop your Mushin. No-mind.
NOTE: Be aware of this. To overreact could be as bad as no reaction at all.”
As many know, I worked several years in Law-enforcement, and I have seen my share of vehicle accidents caused by the driver overreacting to a crisis.
That is why part of a patrolman’s training is passing a driver’s obstacle course. Performing drills over and over again.
Train religiously, train hard, train with the goal to achieve Mushin.
If you train correctly, you will know.
If you hesitate or have to think, then train some more. There is no secret, just hard work and determination to excel.
“In the end. We will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.”
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Roy D. Davis III “Kaicho”
NKJU ® National Karate Jiu-Jitsu Union and National Karate jiu-jitsu Union Int.
2691 Worth County Line Road
Albany, Georgia 31705
davisroyiv3@gmail.com
December 2021 NKJU® Bulletin
NKJU ® & NKJUI® is a USPTO registered trademark owned by Roy D. Davis III. Any use of this name by any person, organization, company, or association with the marketing or sale of any products and services without the owner’s permission violates the US Trade Mark Act.
All NKJU® & NKJUI® Bulletins are under Copyright and shall not be altered from their original form without the written permission from Kaicho Davis.
