Category: Motivation

It Can Happen To You…

Yes. Yes, it can. Most people go through their lives with a set of blinders on; unaware and unbothered about the potential pitfalls that await them and the consequences of their actions. In many ways, this makes sense. After all, if one spent the majority of one’s life contemplating their own death, they’d cause a level of psychological damage to themselves that would be difficult to ignore. People go through their daily routine with nary a thought about their own unavoidable demise, regardless of the fact that we all know that it’s coming.

Today’s focus is not quite as macabre as discussing death but rather, the strange dichotomy that society seems to have when it comes to assuming that. A particular thing won’t happen to them. Let’s take smoking, as an example. From a societal standpoint, half a century ago smoking was almost considered an expectation. When the health complications associated with smoking became common knowledge, you still had tons of people who would light up, several times a day. Despite the stories of pulmonary disease and cancer, people usually take a long drag while muttering, “it won’t happen to me…”

One would think that seeing a photo of a blackened lung on the cigarette packet would be enough o dissuade someone with a modicum of common sense from sucking back on a tar-filled stick of cancer causing chemicals but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Instead, some prefer to bury their heads in the sand and assume that such medical horror couldn’t possibly happen to them. But it can. Oh, but it can. Granted, when using an example that includes something addictive, such as nicotine, it can be a bit diffuse to provide a clear perspective. So, let’s look at some different examples…

This dichotomy I speak of, kicks in with just about everything. On the one side, you have the absolute committed folks who say you have to exercise constantly, never eat anything bad, don’t smoke, don’t drink, sleep eight hours and eliminate all stress from your life. On the other side, you have the ones who say you shouldn’t necessarily deny yourself the things you want, at least not completely. If you want that slice of cake, that beer, that cigar or take a day off from exercising, you should deny yourself that.

So, who’s right? Obviously, I’m a big supporter of exercising and eating right, to an extent. I’m certainly no supporter of those who flop down on the couch and do nothing with their time, eating junk and making no progress in their lives. And believe me, I know some folks who are like that. The big problem is that being at either extreme is not a good thing. Take Jim Fixx, for example. He was an American runner who ended up dying of a heart attack while, you guessed it, running! Although I don’t know the back story behind the actual cause of his death, the irony is palpable. I think Denis Leary joked about it in one of his comedy albums. But i digress.

The key to life is to find the balance that works for you. Exercise and proper diet is important, whether you have Type-1 Diabetes or not. Although you don’t need to slam hours of fitness and eat nothing but quinoa all day, you shouldn’t become a lazy couch potato eating nothing but beef jerky and wings, either. Find yourself a routine that works for you and indulge in it. Enjoy it. Work WITH it instead of thinking of it as a chore. And although you should try to balance out your diet so that you aren’t intentionally clogging your arteries, allow yourself the occasion to have that treat you’re thinking about or grab that beer with a buddy. Balance. That’s what it all comes down to.

Bear in mind that humans are fragile creatures. If you eat a pound of bacon every morning and expect NOT to have a heart attack, think again. It can happen to you. If your think that sitting sedentary all day, every day, won’t cause your body to atrophy, think again. If you think your chain smoking won’t result in lung problems and/or cancer, think again. It can happen to you. It can all happen to you. The idea is to find your balance so that you can live healthy AND live happy. And with that happiness may come the lesser stress you all seem so crazed about. Food for thought… ☯️

Life Lessons For Your Morning…

I found a short list of “life lessons” online while recently wandering my social media platforms. I don’t recognize the individual who posted this list and it was a “recommended” post (we all know a platform or two that does this), so maybe someone reading this will recognize it. If you know the source of this list, please feel free to share it in the comments. That being said, I can relate to some of these and felt I should share it. The bolder lines are the list. The narrative is mine and some of these are a bit on the funny side. Here we go…

1. Don’t lend money to your family; give it.
This is an important lesson for most, myself especially. I’ve had many times in my life that my parents gave me money, even when I didn’t need it. It can obviously cause things to go awry, especially if one has a family member seeking to take advantage.

2. Never shake a hand while sitting down.
Okay, I get where they’re coming from with this one. Although mostly an etiquette thing, there’s nothing more awkward than walking up to someone to shake their hand and they keep their butt in the seat. Plus, if it’s your first meeting with someone, you only get that one chance to make a first impression.

3. Stop telling people more than they need to know.
They key point here is that it isn’t being suggested that you lie or omit details. But depending on who you’re speaking to, less is sometimes more. Providing a bunch of fluff and details that don’t add to your message is pointless, and may also change the receiver’s interpretation of what you’re trying to impart.

4. Never eat the last piece of something you didn’t buy.
I realize that I’ve been guilty of this quite a few times in my life. Especially if a meal is provided for me and I’m having something delicious that I’ve never tried before, I have a tendency of going for seconds. But if a buddy invites you over for a beer, don’t be that person who grabs the last one. It’s just rude.

5. Don’t throw your friend under the bus to impress someone.
I’ve been the victim of this on more occasions than I can count. If there’s one thing I’ve come to learn in the course of my life, is that friends, true friends, are a genuine rarity and should never be sacrificed for the sake of impressing someone else. This is also a good and fast way to end that friendship, if you’re doing it to someone like me.

6. Never insult the cooking when you are the guest.
If you’ve been invited and are being given free food, shut your mouth, eat it, smile and say thank you. Maybe you don’t like eating quinoa but if that’s what’s being served, grin and bear it. Anything short of a medical reason, be thankful you have someone who not only invites your into their home but shares their food with you.

7. Don’t use the urinal next to an occupied one.
While on the comedic side, I’m going to add to this one while also pointing out that you shouldn’t try to make small talk while using a urinal. The last thing any guy wants/needs, is to be chit-chatting with someone while their hands are on their junk. Obviously, if there are only two urinals available, you may not have a choice. But if there are, don’t be that guy.

8. Don’t take out your phone during a conversation.
This is a pretty big one because society now exists in a world where we essentially function on a daily basis through our devices. While convenient, this can be detrimental during an actual face-to-face conversation. If you’re speaking with a live person, keeps your damn phone in your pocket! You can check your Twitter (Oh, sorry! I mean ‘X’) later. Unless it pertains to the conversation, such as looking something up… And even then, I usually make a point of stating that I’m looking something up for them,

9. Never take credit for work you didn’t do.
Setting aside for a moment the fact that this can get you into serious trouble if it’s ever discovered or you’re required to lean on the skills used for that work, you should never try and advance yourself at the cost of someone else’s blood, sweat and tears. Even if you hit someone that consents to your taking credit, this is definitely a faux pas.

10. Listen, nod, and most of all make eye contact.
People want to feel like they’re being heard. There’s nothing more distracting and annoying than talking to someone who’s eyes wander while you speak and it just feels as though they aren’t listening. Be present in the moment. Pay attention. And if making eye contact is difficult for you, it’s definitely something personal that should be developed. A huge percentage of a conversation is contained in the eye contact.

11. Don’t make fun of your friend in front of his kids.
Whatever. My kids make fun of me so why wouldn’t my friends? I would suggest that it’s more accurate to say not to “belittle” your friend in front of their kids.

12. Never let emotions overpower you.
We all have ‘em. But as soon as you let them take control or dictate your actions, it can start a downward spiral you may not be able to pull out of. Self-control is a major element in the martial arts and in Zen. The important thing is to acknowledge one’s emotions, feel them and experience them. Just don’t them control you.

13. Never beg for a relationship.
This is a big one and quite important. There’s a difference between fighting to keep someone in your life and begging them to do so. The former is noble. The latter is pathetic. If you have to beg any person for a relationship, regardless of the nature of that relationship, they don’t have a place in your life. In fact, they don’t deserve one.

14. Dress well no matter what the occasion.
This is a self-respect piece but it plays a big role in how you’ll develop your confidence, trust in yourself and to help maintain good mental health. No matter what’s happening, take the time to get up and get dressed. It’s part of the routine that will bring success to your day.

15. Never kick a man when he is already down.
Not much to say on this one. No one deserves to be battered. If someone’s already down, you should help raise them up. But if you’re the one being kicked, be sure to block that shit!

There you have it. This became a way longer post than I expected to write but hopefully some of you will actually read through it and get value from some of what’s here. ☯️

My Wise Words Usually Come From Someone Else…

It’s been a while since I posted something I’ve found online just for the sake of sharing it, so I thought I would do so today. I say this as I slam a paragraph in my opening instead of simply posting the photo! I’ll reign myself in just long enough o share today’s quote. Here is is…

Miyamoto Musashi has been a significant role model for me through my martial arts journey. He was a Japanese swordsman who developed his own style of Two-bladed swordsmanship. He was also an artist and philosopher, which gave him a unique perspective on the ins and outs of martial arts and how one should approach life. He wrote a book in the late 1600’s famously titled The Book of Five Rings, which was intended as a means for Musashi to leave behind the teachings he provided to his students.

Whenever I share a quote that’s said to be attributed to someone, I’m always cautious to point out that the quote is only as good (and accurate) as its content. There are a lot of memes and supposed quotes out there that are credited to persons who may actually have never said it. In that spirit and if you haven’t done so, I would highly recommend getting a copy of Musashi’s book and read for yourself. Although this one quote hits deeply, his book reflects on so much more and gets the mind working. Stay healthy. ☯️

The Greener Grass…

Ah, life… It tends to go by in a flicker. Many people exist throughout the course of their lives without ever really living it. And that’s a shame, when you consider that regardless of what school of thought you adhere to, or what faith background you may have, no one truly knows what comes next. What if this is it? Is it really worth getting hot under the collar at the guy who cut you off in traffic? Probably not. We tend to live life as though we have all the time in the world.

One big aspect of life is that we almost always want something we don’t have. In some ways, this is to be expected. The gathering and accumulation of material things serves a number of purposes for humanity. On the one hand, it can be a social status thing, with the ownership of certain things showing wealth, success and/or prosperity. On the other, it can be a happiness thing. Maybe you don’t need a $100,000 camper trailer for the couple of months in the summer that you can use it but your sure as fuck love camping in it when you do.

If you have the method and the means, all of that is well and good. But if you’re the person on the other side of the fence LOOKING at the camper trailer that someone else owns, you’d be lying to yourself if you believed the thought hadn’t crossed your mind that it’d be loads of fun. I use a camper trailer as an example because it’s the first one that came to mind but you can apply that concept to just about anything, including material belongings, wealth and even the people in your life.

Age is a big one, too. If you think back to your youth and if you’re being truly honest with yourself, you’d be likely to find at least one occasion where the thing you wanted most was to be grown up; grown up to buy booze, grown up to do what you want and come and go as you please… Never truly recognizing the benefits and advantages of your youth, while you had it. As an adult, how many times have you wished you could go back to your youth, either for health reasons or because it was a simpler time when you didn’t have to pay bills, work a job and have responsibilities? If you need a perfect example of wanting what you don’t have, you need only to look within oneself.

At the end of all things being equal, life is meant to be lived in the moment. There are things we NEED to do in order to live and function in modern society. Having a job and bringing in an income is counted among the most prominent. But while you’re busy doing that, take the time to enjoy the stage of life you’re in and the benefits you do have. As much as I’d love the energy and health of my youth, I sure don’t miss having to go to school and having most aspects of my life under someone else’s control. And that’s the point; life is a compromise. Work to make money so that you can use that money to grab that occasional pint of beer when you want it. Don’t stress and don’t focus on the things you don’t have right in front of you. You’ll be better off for it and you’ll live better. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Food for thought… ☯️

My Thumb In Your Eye…

It’s been a couple of weeks since I mistook my thumb for a shiitake mushroom and tried to slice the tip off of it with a chef’s knife. For those who may not have read the post a couple of weeks ago, I was slicing up mushrooms in my kitchen for a slow cooker recipe I was trying. I was using a beautiful, carbon steel chef’s knife that my wife and I purchased only months ago. Razor sharp and quite hefty, I was hacking away at the mushrooms pretending to be Gordon fuckin’ Ramsey when my eye caught movement outside my kitchen window…

Also for those of you who may not be aware, although I‘ve mentioned it on occasion, is that I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid, way back before it was fashionable. My training in the martial arts and Buddhism have helped me to focus and control some of the worse symptoms into adulthood but there’s no denying that sometimes I tend to squirrel with the best of them. The blade came down as I looked off to my left and cut through about a third of the meat in my thumb. A nearly four-hour ER visits and four stitches later, this was the result…

Cursing myself for my attention span and regretful of the temporary use of my left thumb, its been an uninteresting couple of weeks. The big issue for Type-1 Diabetics is that we can often take much longer than the average person to heal from injuries. This is generally from our poor blood circulation making it harder for blood cells to reach the wound to help with the rebuilding process. Not to mention that since we have difficulty metabolizing sugar into energy since we don’t self-produce insulin, poor blood sugar levels will also affect the body’s ability to heal.

As a result, I buckled up for a month or more of having a bandaged thumb. You never realize just how much your use your thumb until you no longer can. Buttoning shirts, tying shoes and even using the washroom has become more of a challenge. But as the past couple of weeks have elapsed, I’ve come to realize that I don’t necessarily have the depth of Diabetic issues that others do or as I’ve described in the previous paragraph. As a result, I heal much better and faster than the average Type-1. After two weeks of bandages and dissolving stitches, here’s where I’m at now…

It looks red and angry, and it is! On Tuesday night I agreed to play some retro Nintendo with my 9-year old and winced when I realized I needed the very red spot you see to use the keypad. But besides the flaking dead skin and a bit of a sore, hard spot on the top, which I assume is now scar tissue, I’m healing up like a champ. I’m glad to see it but the itching and flaking skin has been driving me nuts.

The point of this post is to speak to how important it is to maintain one’s blood sugars and maintain some level of physical fitness. This applies to everyone but is even more important if you have Type-1 Diabetes. If I had poor control and didn’t care for myself physically, I’d probably be looking at another couple of weeks before I reached the point you see in the second photo. People often don’t see or understand the difference. This is an excellent visual example. ☯️

The Naked Shower…

There must be a balance in life. This applies to all things, positive or negative. For example, although I enjoy the benefits of pump therapy to treat my Type-1 Diabetes, there are some definite negatives to wearing a pump and continuous glucose monitoring. I experienced some of those negatives during my recent travels to New Brunswick. They include having to calculate the number of pieces of replacement gear I’d need for the trip, including infusion sets, sensors, reservoirs, gluco-sticks for my blood metre and a partridge in a very annoying pear tree. Getting through airport security is also fun, as it usually requires me to be physically pat down instead of going through the same way everyone else does. But I digress…

Once in a while, the positive rises up to counteract the negative. I had the opportunity to experience that, this morning. I got to take a naked shower. Now, you may be asking, “But Shawn, isn’t everyone naked when they shower?” First of all, no, because you don’t know how other people shower, so save your questions until the end of the class. But what I mean, is that I had absolutely no pump equipment on my flesh when I showered this morning. When I woke up, I only had a few units of insulin left and knew I’d have to change out my set. My sensor was due to expire within the next two hours, so I removed it to charge the transmitter, as well. The result was an abdomen clear of all my cyborg parts.

There’s a certain freedom to being able to shower completely unhindered by having your devices attached to you. It’s a very small thing that people take for granted but the reality is that when I shower, I usually have to be mindful to angle my body so that I’m not constantly spraying hot water on my sensor. To be clear, everything I wear can withstand water and even be submerged. The issue is with the adhesive that holds everything in place. Hot water exposure will almost certainly melt away some of the adhesive. And even if it doesn’t the adhesive will start to dry and shrink, causing it to peel away from the skin. And obviously, as I’m lathering up I need to avoid piling a bunch of soap and hot water on everything.

This morning was a rare instance where both my CGM and my infusion set were absent. I didn’t have to guard where the water fell, I could scrub freely at my leisure and I could let the hot water cascade upon me with abandon. It was an excellent start to my morning and providing a level of enjoyment in the shower that I rarely get… Feel free to insert whatever dirty jokes that you feel may be appropriate, here. But seriously, I often have occasions where I’m due to change my infusion set, so THAT’s off during a shower. Or on the rare occasions my sensor change happens at home (it usually happens at work), I get to have a shower with THAT off. But having both of them off at the same time is pretty much like playing Russian roulette.

So, there you have it. Just another day in the life of a Type-1 Diabetic with all of his first-world problems. But it’s certainly an interesting aspect that people usually don’t consider. I always joke around that I’m technically a cyborg; I wear technology that replaces the function of something in the human body and helps to keep me alive. There are a lot of benefits to pump therapy. But some of the little joys are worth mentioning. And enjoying. Food for thought… ☯️

Becoming The Patriarch, Part 9 (The Finale)

So, I’m going to end this travel series on the most positive note I possibly can. IN Sensei’ words and as I often write, for every negative, there is a positive; and vice versa. It’s been a rough week for me; dropping everything at the drop of a hat and travelling across the country to the East Coast to help my mother during a transition that I thought would never happen. Honestly, I always assumed she’d pass away before her mind went. But I walked away on Friday night confident in the fact that she’s safe, warm, sheltered and fed and has a great support system in place. In fact, I would have to go on record as saying I have the best fuckin’ family in the world. Part of me is thoroughly convinced that had they not intervened prior to my arrival, I would have been travelling out there to bury my mother instead of visiting her. But I digress… And I did say I would end this on a positive note.

The dark, foreboding roads of New Brunswick

As I wrote yesterday, Saturday morning saw me get up a few inches higher than the butt-crack of dawn and drive south on a dark, moose-infested highway from Northern New Brunswick and the City of Moncton. All in all, my travel day, if I include the driving (which I do), amounted to about 22 hours of total travel. Delayed departures threatened my ability to get home and flight changes at two different airports before touching down in Regina gave me a unique insight into the ignorance and undeserved self-entitlement that the general public seem to have when being in an airport terminal. But before I go off on some sort of negative tangent, I should probably get to the more positive aspects of my visit; of which there were many.

Taking care of a family comes with its fair share of responsibilities, which I’m sure I don’t need to tell any of you. When we usually travel out East, the opportunity to kick back and go out is pretty rare. This is mainly because my mother doesn’t have the constitution or control to deal with Nathan and Alexander, which means we limit our outings and interactions while in New Brunswick to a) what can be done during daylight hours and b) all together. The result is that I usually never get to see many of the friends and associates I still have in northern New Brunswick because most of them work day jobs and after supper, we’re winding the boys down and trying to get them to bed. From my side of things, it would be irresponsible and selfish of me to leave my wife with the boys in a random hotel room in a community she’s unfamiliar with, and take the only vehicle and say, “Have a god night, hun! I’m off to shoot pool and drink beer. See you later!” Dick move, imaginary me. Dick move.

Flight 1 of 3. Let’s go, already!

This is one of the only occasions in nearly a decade where I was able to touch base and reconnect with some folks I haven’t hung out with in years. And I even got to go see Sensei’s son’s new house, which he had been begging me to go see for years. I reconnected and shared meals with some family members and was introduced to the wonder that is pork loin (Thanks, Daniel!) and will likely be trying to make it myself. I got to enjoy brunch with an old high school friend and fellow karate practitioner. I got to shoot pool and enjoy a couple of pints of the elusive Alpine beer, of which there is none in Saskatchewan. And last but certainly not least, I got to spend several hours sitting in Sensei’s warm living room reliving old memories as he provided sage advice and wisdom, even without asking for it. This is Sensei’s way.

Contemplating life at 32,000 feet

in some ways, many ways, my mother has managed to teach me some valuable lessons through this entire process, as well. A part of me wants to share the image my aunt took of my mother’s emaciated form when she found her. She was on the brink of death and looked horrible. However, I don’t feel it would be respectful of me to expose my mother in such a private moment and it could be triggering or traumatic for some to see her that way. But the bottom line is my mother reached a point where she realized she no longer had anyone to take of and spent her days in silence. Alone and depressed, she gave up. It isn’t until family stepped up to start helping and being there, that she started to regain some constitution and start to get better. The way she appeared when I left on Friday was night and day compared to the photo I saw, only two weeks prior.

Guess who was happy to see me?

The bottom line is that we all need people. In whatever way, shape or form that takes holds for each of us, we need that in our lives. For my mother, she spent her entire life taking care of others. She spent two decades on a state of constant hyper-vigilance looking after my brother until he passed. Then, my father’s paralysis took hold and she took care of him until he signed himself into a care home. Finally, both my grandparents reached their end-of-life needs, which my mother provided for both. It isn’t until the past year or two where she’s had absolutely no one to take care of or look after. Years of constant stress and adrenaline have taken their toll, which contributed to her current state but the biggest caveat is that she couldn’t be alone. That’s what started to do her in…

Whether some of us choose to admit it or not, human beings are pack animals and we need others in order to survive. My mother was a clear example of this, as she is once again thriving. As much as a 75-year old woman who’s losing her memories can thrive, of course. But the lesson here and what I picked up during this trying week is that life is short. No matter what school of philosophy you adhere to or what you think happens in the afterlife, the life you’re in is but a flicker. At the snap of your fingers, it’s gone. So it’s important to live life and take the time to appreciate your family, loved ones and the important things in your life. This is an important lesson that I’ve always known but the rigours and stresses of life sometimes make one forget. It’s just unfortunate that my mother had to nearly die in order for me to remember.

The lesson was driven home (pun intended) the most as I disembarked from the final leg of my flight, at the airport in Regina. As I descended the escalator, I saw my wife and my two sons, patiently waiting for me to arrive. As I reached the bottom of the escalator, no act of God or man could have kept my redheaded little daredevil from plowing through large, adult crowds to plow into my arms. As shown from the last photo above, he was up as soon as I was, this morning and has been attached to me, ever since. I guess daddy’s home. Life eventually starts to take away more than it gives. That’s the inevitable secret of life. That’s why we need to enjoy the happy moments when we can, despite having them peppered with the sad ones. It’s the balance of life that means the difference between living, and just existing. Food for thought. And with that thought, I’ve got some life to go live. It’s good to be home. ☯️

Another Year, Another Year Spent…

October 13th is a pretty typical day fro most people… Falling somewhere after Thanksgiving (in Canada, mind you) and a couple of weeks before Halloween, it’s a pretty unassuming day that most people tend to consider just another day on the calendar. But for me and 27 other individuals, it’s a fixed point in the history of our lives that altered the course of who we are and what we’ve become. Today is the anniversary of when I was sworn in as a peace officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

I’ve always believed that it was important to live one’s life without regrets. I still believe that, despite the many hardships I’ve faced in recent years and the ones I continue to face now. Every once in a. While, an individual makes a decision that becomes a fixed point in their lives from which all subsequent decisions will stem from. Such was my decision to become a police officer and try to serve the people of my country and help those who can’t help themselves.

Starting with a troop of 32 and graduating with only 28, I never could have predicted how taking on this career path would change me, in some ways for the better and some for the worse. I also couldn’t have predicted that doing so would make Saskatchewan my new, permanent home and where I’d meet my wife and have my children. But here we are! I can look back with absolutely no regrets and nothing but fond memories of the training, the discipline and the camaraderie that was developed during those long months of training, which ultimately brought me to the here and now.

A few of my troop mates were also posted to Saskatchewan and we had started a tradition on our 1-year anniversary that I had sought to carry on. We joined up in a neutral city and toasted our time with a shot of Fireball. At two years, we did two shots. At three years we did three and so on and so forth… It was a wonderful tradition until I crossed the line into 10 years and it started to become dangerous. I’m not in my 20’s anymore; downing a dozen shots, even over the course of hours, doesn’t sit well with my system.

Considering I’ve all but cut out alcohol consumption completely, this may be the first year that I find a different means of celebrating and observing the day that subsequently set my path for me. Next to joining karate, the day I became a police officer is one of the most impactful of my life. And since I was too fuckin’ young at the time, I have no way of knowing EXACTLY what date I would have joined karate. But one can’t celebrate everything, right?

It’s been a few years since I’ve worn the uniform and my path has since moved beyond that aspect of my life. But the memory and impact it carries will stay with me forever. Policing in modern-day society poses its own unique set of risks and complications. As my grandfather would say, things aren’t like they used to be be. And that is so true. Policing and police officers in general, are no longer viewed with the same reverence and place of respect as they used to be. We have a number of factors to thank for that but that can be a potty for another time. For now, I’m going to absorb the day, immerse myself in some memories and be thankful for the time I had. I only pray my old troop mates are still out there, keeping us safe and being safe themselves. ☯️

Do You Really Need To Strike…?

If you’re talking about karate, the short is yes. Yes, you do. But is it really that’s black and white? I’m talking about the training environment, of course, not an actual fight. If you’re in an actual fight and you don’t strike your opponent, you’re in for a bit of a bad time. But even in those circumstances, there can often be alternatives. I bring this up today because, having been in my fair share of fights, both on the street and in the dojo, I know a little something about having to strike and in most cases, striking first to avoid getting injured.

I recently saw a meme online that quoted a Shorin-Ryu practitioner named Hiya Yuchoku. Yuchoku studied under a number fo well-known teachers, including Chojun Miyagi, who is known as the founder of Japanese Goju-Ryu. He was awarded his 10th degree in the late 1970’s, almost 20 years before his death in 1994. I’m never one to speak ill of the departed, especially such a revered martial artist. But I’m also quite leery of any quote that’s attributed to a source that is no longer around to confirm or deny what words they may have said. Here’s the quote I read:

“It’s not Karate if you interrupt the blow before contact. It is impossible to fight without the possibility of injury. Injuries are often inevitable.

Karate is essentially not fit for Tournaments. It is not feasible to make real Karate a competitive sport.”

– Hugs Yuchoku

There’s a lot to unpack in those two short, little paragraphs. For the most part, I tend to agree with the second paragraph. Karate was never intended to be a competitive sport. Although we do see karate tournaments, the spirit and intent of the art was never meant to score points or win trophies. I know that’s for myself, personally, I’ve never competed. Sensei doesn’t approve of such things and neither do I. My karate has always been about self-defence and the defence of others. But, to each their own, right?

What concerns me with the quote is the first paragraph, specifically the first sentence. “It’s not karate if you interrupt the blow before contact.” Let’s examine that statement, for a moment. For decades, I’ve trained myself to have an accurate control over my strikes so that I can stop on a dime or plow through my target with the intention of only stopping on the other side. And quite frankly, every possible degree in between. This is important. being able to strike something/someone is easy. Any poor bastard who can close a tight fist can throw a punch and make an impact.

But to have the control to be able to spar in a full contact environment and still stop a hair’s width from your target takes skill, concentration and focus. Three very important aspects that most would argue is integral to learning karate properly. To be able to put full strength behind a strike but still maintain enough control to stop on a dime develops a level of muscle memory that one simply won’t get by always plowing right through.

The second part of the first paragraph, where injuries are referenced, is quite accurate. Let‘s be real, for a moment… Karate isn’t a fuckin’ knitting circle. If you want to avoid injury completely, maybe you should take up checkers, instead. The “possibility” of injury always exists, even in the training environment. This is why firm control, concentration and focus, as well as respect for your opponent, are so very, very important to effectively learning karate.

As is always the case, different styles and martial artists will have different views and opinions on this. I invite any of you who have input to please feel free to provide your thoughts in the comments section. I always welcome a good debate. Food for thought… ☯️

A Little Respect…

When you include all the variations and offshoots, there are hundreds of different martial arts styles, hailing from several different countries. This includes a martial art called “Kalaripayattu,” which has origins in India and is said to be thousands of years’ old. Some styles owe their creation to the existence of previously-existing styles, like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. That style seems to be all the rage and everyone always praises it but did you know that the style is actually a combination of Japanese Judo and Jujutsu? The style that a good portion of the world seems to think is “oh so great,” is actually a combination of two already-great styles. But the fact I could make that snarky last comment speaks to what today’s post is all about.

I’d love to say that my style is the ultimate one and can outdo any other style that could possibly be out there. But the reality is that it isn’t just about the style but how you train and how much you put into it. I’ve had people I’ve trained with that royally shit the bed in terms of how they’ve developed themselves. Meanwhile, I’m pretty convinced that my Sensei could not only beat the shit out of a team comprised of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li but he would follow up by walking away slowly as an explosion happens in the background. But I may be JUST a little bit biased. The point is that most practitioners tend to develop that bias, since most dedicated martial artists will find and stay with one style for the majority of their training career. Because of this, they tend to believe that their style is THE style.

There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of loyalty and it’s certainly important to bear in mind that style hopping tends to water down a student’s overall skills. But the style you choose is exceptionally subjective and the idea is to choose a style that suits you, fits your needs and helps to provide you with what you need, overall. You have some exceptions, like Chuck Norris and Jean Claude Van Damme. Say what you will about some of the movies, both those fuckers have multiple black belts in various styles. But that tends to be the exception, not the rule. The idea is that sticking with one style doesn’t mean that every other style is wrong or ineffective.

That’s why it’s important to show a little respect. If the original developers of martial arts styles hadn’t kept an open mind and showed a bit of willingness to learn something new, the style you’ve dedicated yourself to would probably never exist. Or at the very least, it might be significantly different than what you know. In my time, I’ve had the opportunity to study with a variety of schools touching on a number of different styles. These different styles have had different ways of doing things, including how to stand, how to execute techniques and even how to close one’s fist and throw a punch, which seems quite basic but there’s apparently more than one way to do it. Imagine that! And although these styles were different, there was always something for me to learn. It wasn’t always easy… Adjusting to different techniques when you’ve been doing it a certain way for decades can be rough. But through all of that, respect has always been there.

No matter what style you study, how long you’ve been at it or how effective you think it is, always remember that anyone else likely feels the same way about their style. There should be no lack of respect for the other styles you may encounter. There are far too many people who bash and bad-talk other styles and always assume that their style is the ultimate one and that no other style has any value. The truth is that there is value in all styles and they’ve all had their journey. So keep an open mind and be willing to consider different perspectives. Although dedication to one style is important, respect for ALL styles holds a seat on the same platform. Food for thought… ☯️