Today & Yesterday

I am told that Okazaki Sensei often held Sumo competitions at his dojo, and even sponsored larger events. I have often wondered of all the various forms of martial arts competition available, why train in Sumo ? I think after the last few days of practicing Sumo I may have an idea. If you have ever watched a Sumo shai (tournament) you would be blown away by the speed and intensity of the matches. Sumotori (practitioners of Sumo) spend several minutes trying to mentally upset their opponent before getting into the ring. Contestants square off and, bang its over. Sumo in one of the oldest known combat sports and is highly ritualistic but it seem so real when you get down to it. Hajime, bang, its over. Very much like a real fight. The opponent tried to get into your head to put you off balance and then attacks. Real fights are very immediate, and over very quick. No 45 minute chess match like our BJJ cousins, not even the several moments spent jockeying for position like Judo, its just bang and its over, 20 seconds is a long match.
Juxtapose that with a violent assault, and you have an amazing set of similarities.
After an evening of Sumo training, the class did some simple self defense material, I noticed it was easier to stay focused on the incoming punch after a few rounds in the Sumo ring. Lets keep out eyes out for the next big craze in martial arts, Sumo Self Defense !
I have attached some photos of tonight's Sumo matches for you enjoyment.

JAPANESE ETIQUETTE PART 2

Greetings
Greetings are considered to be of extreme importance in Japanese culture. Students in elementary and secondary schools are often admonished to deliver greetings with energy and vigor. A lazy greeting is regarded with the type of disdain that would accompany a limp handshake in parts of the West.Simply walking off without saying anything is frowned upon. When parting, instead of simply saying goodbye, it is common to make a wish to meet again.
The most common greetings are ohayō gozaimasu (おはようございます?) or "good morning", used until about 11am but may be used at any time of day if it is the first occasion that day the two people have met; konnichiwa (こんにちは?) which is roughly equivalent to "good day" or "good afternoon" and is used until late afternoon; konbanwa (今晩は?) or "good evening"; and oyasuminasai (お休みなさい?) or "good night". Different forms of these greetings may be used depending on the relative social statuses of the speaker and the listener; see respectful language below.

Various Sources

JAPANESE ETIQUETTE

The following will be a three part series on Japanese social etiquette. Gathered from various sources we will examine bowing, eating, and greeting people. Enjoy. Further investigation may be made with the Ogasawara Ryu, www.ogasawara-ryu.com/en/indexe.html.

BOWING

Bowing ((o)jigi (お辞儀, おじぎ), (o-)rei (お礼)), is probably the feature of Japanese etiquette that is best-known outside Japan . Bowing is considered extremely important in Japan , so much so that, although children normally begin learning how to bow from a very young age, companies commonly provide training to their employees in how to execute bows correctly.
Basic bows are performed with the back straight and the hands at the sides (boys and men) or clasped in the lap (girls and women), and with the eyes down. Bows originate at the waist. Generally, the longer and deeper the bow, the stronger the emotion and the respect expressed.
Bows can be generally divided into three main types: informal, formal, and very formal. Informal bows are made at about a fifteen degree angle and more formal bows at about thirty degrees. Very formal bows are deeper.
The etiquette surrounding bowing, including the length and depth of bow, and the appropriate response, is exceedingly complex. For example, if the other person maintains his or her bow for longer than expected (generally about two or three seconds), it is polite to bow again, upon which one may receive another bow in return. This often leads to a long exchange of progressively lighter bows.
Generally speaking, an inferior bows longer, more deeply and more frequently than a superior. A superior addressing an inferior will generally only nod the head slightly, while some superiors may not bow at all and an inferior will bend forward slightly from the waist.
Bows of apology tend to be deeper and last longer than other types of bow. They tend to occur with frequency during the apology, generally at about 45 degrees with the head lowered and lasting for at least the count of three, sometimes longer. The depth, frequency and duration of the bow increases with the sincerity of the apology and the severity of the offence. Bows of thanks follow the same pattern. In extreme cases a kneeling bow is performed; this bow is sometimes so deep that the forehead touches the floor. This is called saikeirei (最敬礼), literally "most respectful bow."
When dealing with non-Japanese people, many Japanese will shake hands. Since many non-Japanese are familiar with the custom of bowing, this often leads to a combined bow and handshake which can be quite complicated to execute. Bows may be combined with handshakes or performed before or after shaking hands. Generally when bowing in close proximity, as necessitated when combining bowing and shaking hands, people turn slightly to one side (usually the left) to avoid bumping heads.

Thanks for reading.

~Sensei~

Wednesday Afternoon Nage

Annette and Ummer taking Nage no Kata by storm, and loving it. It was a tremendous joy to train two highly motivated students. The future of the Ryu looks pretty bright from where I am sitting.

Kenshokan Martial Arts Academy
Danzan Ryu Jujitsu
Shorin Ryu Karate
Self Defence

Here Comes the Century Club !

For a few months now I have been hinting about the Kenshokan Century Club. This is a personal achievement club where students take it upon themselves to push a little harder and "max out" on their basic fitness skills. The rules are simple. To enter "the club" First be able to perform 100 push ups in a 2 minuet time period. Once this is done you are a member of the club. Your photo will go up on the website, and there will be a certificate, but that’s not why you do it. You do it for you because you can, or until you can.

I am proud to announce the first junior members of the Century Club.
Alejandro Stawski
Allen Sokolov
both completed 100 push ups in the time allotted. Congratulations !
Next up leg lifts, hill climbers, burpies, pole sits, etc.

Special thanks to Zachary Kauffman for helping the parameters of the club.
By the way he completed the 100 pushups in 53 seconds. Good luck beating that !

Jealousy and Paradise

I sat at the desk thrilled that some new was joining the dojo and at the same time we had someone trying it out for the first time. I know the benefits of DZR and wouldn't trade them for the world, but still it amazes me that someone new is joining the Ryu. Will they train for a year or two take the knowledge with them and move on or is this new student a future professor guiding and coloring our art.
Then it hits me. I cant stay, the mental battle begins. train with my students, and guest instructor Mat, or keep the word to the Misses ? She would understand. I am sure she would...............Family wins. Iam home, my 3 year old has Tammy last bit of patience on a thread, and I sit down to dinner with my family. Something I give up four nights a week for my other love the Kenshokan.
See you on the mat. Soon.