Alone Together

The holidays are over. It is time to begin...again. This open training journal is here to serve as a  watering hole of ideas for all those of you who are actively engaged in traditional warrior training on your own. 

Sometimes by choice, sometimes in response to circumstances beyond our control, we find ourselves alone. It is my hope that through this Blog, we can create a sense of community so that, even in our aloneness, we can be together.

Being a traditional martial artist did not make me a warrior; being a WARRIOR made me turn to the martial arts. But I am also a social worker, writer, karate & self-defense teacher, mother, grandmother, runner, musician, spiritual seeker, meditation practitioner... There is nothing about me that is not lit with the fire of my warriorship.

And that is a source of joy and inspiration for me.

Today, Day One of my latest journey, I was exploring the hikite ("returning"or "pulling") hand in the first two Pinan Kata (aka Heian Kata in Japanese styles).

Like many others, I tend to get caught up in the drama of my striking hand and forget to pay attention to that withdrawing hand. Funny thing about that hand. Not only does putting energy into it actually ADD to the power of the striking hand (who'd a thunk?). It also creates all kinds of creative and powerful opportunities for grabbing, striking, controlling and otherwise introducing the opponent to his/her well-deserved fate.

This article by Charles Goodin gives a "nice" introduction to some crunchy hikite ideas.

Warning: Philosophical musing- How often do we undervalue things in our lives with enormous potential we are enraptured by the 'bells & whistles'? Let's not leave the power of subtlety and process unexplored...

Hikite and I will be spending more time together in the near future. A Mental Health run is next on the docket. And so is a good night's sleep.