Dear Friends,

I hope everyone is enjoying their spring break so far. As I look
outside and the 6 inches of snow on the deck, I am reminded how
wonderful springtime in the Rockies can be.

A quick reminder of next month's events would include club belt
testing on the 6th of April, Black Belt Testing in Kansas on the
13th, and the Pikes Peak Karate Championships on April 20th at the
Air Force Academy.

Lesson of the Week


There Is No First Strike In Karate

I had the great pleasure of training with Dan Smith, my Shorin Ryu
teacher this weekend in Denver at the Seibukan training camp.
Although my body may not be as strong as it used to be, I must admit
the thrill of learning new things are as strong as they were when I
first began this journey so long ago.

One of the things we talked about, during training and at dinner, was
the saying, "Karate ni sente nashi" – there is no first strike in
karate. I had always concluded that this was a philosophical
statement designed to keep students from abusing the techniques they
learn. After this weekend, I have a better understanding of this
ideology from the physical, mental and spiritual levels.

While it is true that morally one should not throw the first punch in
any encounter, we also worked on the physical application of this
principle by learning how this applies to the use of the kamai in the
kata. Specific postures solicit specific responses from the opponent
if he attacks, thus allowing the karate-ka an advantage by waiting
patently for the opponent's action. Once the attacker commits, it is
too late to see and defend against the counterattack, thus assuring
victory for the karate-ka.

But I think the real meaning of "there is no first strike in karate"
lies in the mental and spiritual realm. All conflict begins because
of negative emotions. Doubt, fear, guilt, resentment, envy and even
jealousy come about because we allow ourselves to have these negative
emotions. Nothing good ever comes from negative emotions. Negative
emotions are developed from four major sources – justification,
identification, lack of consideration and blame.

Before a negative emotion can develop, we have to justify to
ourselves that we are entitled in having this emotion. Negative
emotions are a choice, so choose not to have them. The second step is
that we identify with the problem personally. The secret is to be
detached and not to take things personally. The only thing we have
control of is our reactions not to many of the things that happen
around us. The third step is that we feel that we have been
disrespected or have been shown a lack of consideration. A wise man
once said, " You should not worry so much about what other people
think of you, because if you knew how seldom they did, you would be
insulted." The last cause of negative emotions is blame. If you
eliminate the ability to blame other people or circumstances for
anything, by taking personal responsibility for everything in your
life, this will most of the time prevent negative emotions.

I truly believe that anything that you believe with emotion can and
will become a reality. It is in this realm that I believe that the
true intent of karate ni sente nashi is held.

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan