Thirteen years ago I had an idea. Thirteen years ago I formed Budo Warrior Schools. From humble and noisy beginnings above four squash courts in Cheltenham, Budo Warrior Schools was an instant hit. I had just wanted to run a martial arts school in such a way that I would have loved being taught myself. That idea has worked in many more places across the UK and the Budo Warrior Schools bug has bitten deep.
Now at age thirteen, Budo Warrior Schools, like any adolescent worth its salt needs to start growing up. We are here and it is now, and so there has been and will continue to be subtle changes of emphasis and direction as befitting a gifted teenager. These slight amendments or alterations have already begun and have been received incredibly well by all.
These thirteen years have flown by and every day I am happy and grateful for the sheer joy and happiness that Budo Warrior Schools has brought to myself and to many, many other people. We now have a vast array of talented and experienced students and instructors from a wide variety backgrounds and experiences. Any such organisation or movement is only as strong and as vibrant as the people involved, and so the great success of Budo Warrior Schools is down to each and every member, regardless of age, experience or rank and not to me. Gambatte kudasai.
I am what is generally called a martial artist of long standing, I first started attending Judo classes in 1964, and I also went on to make a reasonable study Karate and Aikido; it is gratifying to me to find that I am still learning my craft today almost fifty years on, and so I believe that I have earned my right to express my opinions through my teachings with my own philosophy and outlook, born of my experiences, inside and outside of my classes. I have luckilly spent my time since June 2000 in utter selfishness with regard to my martial arts, I train only for me and I teach only for me, yet somehow I have managed to gain a strong loyal student following and a base secure enough to leave a lasting legacy of my collective thoughts and strategies.
I have always had a fascination with violence as many men have, that never made me particularly unusual. I became unusual by what I did with my life and studies once I was truly smitten by the world of ferocious disorder and disturbance. From the age of eighteen until my semi retirement as a bodyguard in 2000, I deliberately put myself on the painful and sometimes humiliating path of outrageous practical studies. At the tender age of eighteen I became a doorman with the sole intent of pitting my martial arts against the rough and toughs who gave not a fig for my stances and Japanese terminology. On my first night, I got beaten up so badly that I was in bed for over a week and I had a pressing concern that I may be permanently blinded in one eye. Once I was over the shock I was left with a total feeling of invigoration, I felt more alive that I had ever done before and I had realised that I had dutifully played my part in the best martial arts lesson I had ever had, and I even got a small wage packet as well, I was truly hooked.
Writing about martial arts is strange exercise rather like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands or to hold back the moon, one day you always feel that against all the odds that you will successfully pull the trick off. I am still typing and still waiting. When I write about martial arts I only write for me because I find it a cathartic experience in that it is only an exercise in organising and clearing my thoughts. Please accept my apologies in advance.
There are only two types of martial artists, those who study to show and those who study to do. I am only talking to those who train to do. Whatever art or system that you train in it is vital to never lose sight of the fact that when you move it must make sense in every direction and angle. Hopefully this will lead you to discover that you will need to abandon your style to become formless and devoid of stylish movements and flourishes. The more style that you move with and fight with the easier you will be understood and thus more readily attacked at your weakest point. Take everything that you know to its base and simplest level and learn the principle of what you are engaged in, the technique may be irrelevant but the principle never is, and to truly understand one thing is to truly understand many things; do not forget this simple rule.
Forget strength and speed and fitness, these are all paths that lead to dead ends or to the cul-de-sac of wasted years. This is simply because as the years advance on your body it will lose its grip on all those vitalities and so, there has to be a smarter way, and the sooner that you start out on the smarter way the better, as your life may well depend upon it. I too was young and fit and strong and I too wanted to flaunt my machismo and so I do fully understand its red blooded temptations. Now, in my purple muddle age I can aptly demonstrate and teach with sound principles and strategy that the easiest three things to overcome in any antagonist are strength and speed and fitness. In consequence what is extremely hard to overcome is someone who has a sound knowledge of their personal strengths and weaknesses and is well versed in the strategies of movement and distance and timing. This must be experienced to be fully understood.
Perhaps the most important principle to understand and also perhaps the most difficult principle to master is that you cannot adequately control or become victorious over your antagonist by the power of your body pitted against the power of his body but only by the continuing adjustment and manipulation of the ever changing space between you and your antagonist. The very idea of this principle may only be understood by the more experience practitioners and then it can only be practised and polished with the correct training. This very idea of only controlling and manipulated that changing space between you and your antagonist is only one of the many methodologies that I study and that I practice and then in turn teach to those students who studies are at that point of understanding and experience.
Please do not practice martial arts to only become an expert as this very attitude will hinder your studies and it must be understood that the mountaintop is a barren place, as all life is sustained only on its slopes.
This is another short article but then again, I am a short man who is short on words. Thank you for your time as that is more precious to me and more of a compliment than your agreement of my ideas based on my life experiences and training.
Perhaps the most important milestone for any martial arts practitioner is the attainment of their Black Belt. This, though can be a more contentious area particularly for instructors and their school or association. The issue can easily become highly personal to the instructor or a particularly political concern for the school or association concerned.
Throughout my many years of instruction and my granting or awarding of the hallowed artifact of a Black Belt I have never witnessed any student who did not genuinely give of their best; some indeed are better prepared than others, that has certainly been true and will always be so but I view that as a separate argument or concern. I have ceased to look upon the Black Belt grading as the acid test of ability, focus or personality of any particular or all the relevant students, but rather I have fashioned my mind to observe their humanness and thus grant them the privilege of living up to their own ideal of themselves. I award a Black Belt as a gift of things to come and not as a marker of what has come before. As any heartfelt gift that is given you are always acutely aware of what becomes of that gift, perhaps like a carefully crafted and chosen vase, will it be left in its presentation box and placed most carefully away with a host of other dry memories or will it be settled in pride of place and appreciated for the wealth of sentiment and encouragement, thankfulness, gratitude and acknowledgement that this token represents?
Having said that, I have known students to resign themselves from the group or class once their Black Belt has been attained, either eager to try their hands and feet at a new system or to leave the martial world behind them. Whether this happens or not, it does not in my mind devalue my gift to them, they can do with it as they wish, no one gives a vase on the condition that it must be displayed center stage on the mantlepiece.
The problem that all instructors have to overcome is that the less physically able student will reflect badly upon himself as the instructor, while the issue concerning the school or association is of a similar nature. Neither view is helpful to the student and is not designed for their benefit. Of course, it cannot be so allowed that students who are clearly not capable to take on the hefty responsibility as a Black Belt can be allowed to flourish. The answer is the same to most things, it is found in the balance of all relevant things.
Whenever I choose to stand on this hard compacted ground of experience and hindsight and I can boast most proudly that some of my Black Belts are technically not the best that I have ever seen, while others I am happy to state could be called average and yes, ultimately some of my Black Belts are amongst the very best I have ever seen. That though, is an exercise only in the seeing eye and not of the observing eye and of the benevolent heart. Whenever I choose to warm this old heart of mine and observe the fruits of my students constant labours and sufferings that converge and culminate in their award of their Black Belts I only see their dedication, their indomitable will and their spirit, I look for and see nothing else. As for me personally, I will hang with the consequences. As for my organisation it is always the stronger and more resilient with such personalities and skills within than without.
I salute every Black Belt that comes through my watch, they are the keepers of the way and they are all amazing. Recently, a small thirteen year old boy by the name of Jamie, who after almost nine years of training under my guidance and also more recently that under Sinead Byrne had spent over a month of continuing grading and assessment for his Black Belt. In my many, many years of instruction I had only twice before ever awarded a Black Belt to anyone under the age sixteen, so this was an extra special event. On his final night with his final task he did that which I had never witnessed before and nor would I have thought practical or possible, he took on seventeen adult students many of who were Black Belts of various ranks with the simple instructions that they could attack him in any order or combination until Jamie could take them to the ground, at which point the adult would be out of the fight. The complete task took some twenty minutes, twenty minutes that I will not forget and nor will anyone present that most amazing of evenings. Jamie, is now both the smallest and greatest example that I can ever consider as the perfect epitome of a Black Belt. No one can ever say to me that Jamie did not earn the belt that he is now wearing.
My very favourite typing fingers have been tweaked, sharpened and thoroughly educated to carefully construct this piece so that it presents itself with a distinct beginning, a middle, and a definite ending, whilst most carefully keeping the beginning and the ending as close together as possible. This is a budo and a combat trick that has been educated into me over the decades, you may also use it with my compliments whenever its opportunity presents itself to you.
The beginning: Some years ago I found myself in an idle farcebook conversation with a rather cute yet sulky looking Irish girl. She was an eight times Kenpo Karate world champion at the top of her sporting prowess and yet she wanted to find out more about the big bad world of budo and so we became engaged in a firm farcebook friendship. Then, sometime later as luck, happen stance or even love can do it provides a bridge or a path to the next development, and so out of the blue I was for the first time invited to teach a budo seminar in Ireland. We met, this grumpy budo bumkin and the sulky girl called Sinead Byrne. Years later she said that although she did not realise it at the time, it was for her budo love at first sight. As for me, I was short sighted and I still am in so many ways.
That was then and this is now, and the now is that we can now protest the first anniversary of our budo bondage and long sort after love. I congratulate us both as we have both had to overcome and surmount an assault course of life’s obstacles to reach this place of love and peace, and I wish to thank those that do not point out with wicked withered fingers the obvious disparity between us and as a result the difficulties that may face Sinead and I as a couple. For those who wish to know but have had the human decency not to ask or to gloat at that which may have been obvious to many. I am now armed with the courage and the firm belief in common decency and I now honestly state unequivocally for the record and to cease the sniping of the shallow minded that yes, Sinead is actually half an inch taller than me.
Despite the height difference we are very much in love yet we are aware that there are many who still regard this difference as unseemly, and we patently acknowledge the possible issues that this unusual disparity may raise. I for one never intentionally sort the tender affections of a taller woman and Sinead has stated that she is not necessarily only attracted to shorter men. I have also looked around and googled this issue and I understand that there is an increasing trend in loving relationships that have similar height differences.
The middle: Sinead has now left Dublin, the city of her blue eyed birth and we now live together in the Glorious city of Gloucester surrounded securely by love, budo and rugby and with the blessings of our respective friends and families. We share our budo and our lives as we would share a grand fish supper and we are the better and stronger for it.
This last year has seen the culmination of almost five years of dedication for Sinead in her new budo path and I can say that her spirit of an eight times world Kenpo Karate champion has constantly shone through with blood, sweat, tears and humour and I will state that I am captivated by her unbroken enthusiasm and sense of purpose. I may have taken her on a journey of budo wonders but she has taken me along the path that leads to the deepest dimensions of love, and for that she has as yet only received scant reward for that gift of the senses. I owe her big time. I know that.
Recently on a snow blown winter Wednesday in Swindon Sinead completed four long arduous evenings of demonstrations and instructions regarding certain principles and techniques of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. Then to cap it all, she had to repeatedly defend herself against up to nine strapping blokes of all ranks. She smashed them all in a fabulous and furious and yet feminine flurry of movement distance and timing. She delivered her kicks, punches, throws and locks with precision and consummate control. To award Sinead her black belt was one of the joys of my life.
And so the story of Sinead shall continue with her Bujinkan black belt as her badge of honour. Budo Warrior Schools is a stronger and better place with Sinead in it and leading the way for any brave woman or man to follow in her wake.
The end: Well, this brazen story of budo and love and the ties that bind them has only just begun so, how can I say what the ending is. My belief is that the story will magically settle on the wings of a dove.
What I would like to happen is to one day marry this blue eyed, raven haired Irish kunoichi flibbertigibbet, though I do recognise that she will have to ask me first. Also, I would wish that Sinead fulfils her abundant budo promise and talent to be one of the premier female Bujinkan practitioners. Sinead is additionally a young woman of dynamic ideas and systems that can only strengthen and complete Budo Warrior Schools. And to that end, I say that this is indeed the end of my search for love, romance and budo of the heart.
My love and congratulations to Sinead on passing her shodan grade. Gambatte, the journey continues.
It is now 2013. The New Year has truly begun, much like last year, if my memory is correct but then my memory is lending me the distinct feeling that 2012 only started about three months ago. Time increasingly kicks you much harder in the pants as you get older and let that be a warning to you youngsters out there.
One of my major annual goals never changes and that is to be a worthy man in all aspects of my life. Well, let me tell you that is a continuing struggle and I have never reached the peak of who I want to be as the sides of the mountain that I have to climb are awfully slippery. This past year has brought me love, understanding and tender affection in the delicate shape of a raven haired blue eyed Irish girl who is never too afraid to kick me in the arse when ever deserved, and without her constant help and encouragement this blog would have been written and finished months ago.
For the past eighteen months I had placed myself with the responsibility of studying and teaching the complete system of Shindenfudo Ryu Daken Taijutsu, and this I did well enough to spot where I could improve myself, if I were ever to undertake the same task again. I had thought that I would look closely at another system such as Koto Ryu for a similar task but I have decided to turn that down for the time being in order to make a full in depth and rigorous study of the much misunderstood art of the advantage. As far as I am concerned at present the art of the advantage is a very well studied and reasoned set of congruent thoughts and allied actions specifically tailored and used in unison and targeted at pitting your natural and learned advantages and strengths along with bluff and subterfuge against your studied weaknesses of your antagonist. This is strategy. This is the art of the advantage.
So, this will be the main thrust of my personal studies and teaching for this year at least. This decision does come with its own set of problems because unlike a martial system like my previous study of Shindenfudo Ryu there is no specific start or finish and no handy notes to pinpoint tricky of ‘secret areas of study’. I shall start where I shall and just let the journey take me to wherever it will take me and for those that will trace the journey with me I hope that you enjoy the ride.
Tonight, at my first class of this year I shall begin my new journey. Wish me luck.
The great and influential work of Bushido was born of desperation, it was only ever an ideal of virtuous manhood, it was a methodology of keeping the young warrior mind completely on the ‘way’ and not out of the way. It was a cherry blossom tinted reflection of heroic deeds and bromantic times from glorious days gone by.
The early history of Japan was the history of bitter and complex civil war. In those times the warrior needed no strict code of behaviour or conduct because he was always battle ready and completely aware of his life or death abilities and his station in the great scheme of complex obligations. When ‘peace’ came with the unification of Japan in the Edo period from 1603 the warrior elite still had the same system of obligation to meet and yet now had far less fighting to do and so also as a result had far less structure in their day to day lives as well as in their philosophy of being, they indeed had very little point in remaining an elite warrior class. It was then that the idea of Bushido was formally introduced and committed to print. It was written purely and solely to supply a tangible purpose to the otherwise unemployable warrior elite. It was a theoretical work, committed to the peace time dangers of the boredom of the warrior class.
So, you could say that the great work of Bushido is just as relevant now as when it was composed because it is still dealing with the same issues at core, and that is the dangers that lurk in a bored and unfocused yet aggressive mind and un-channelled physically resilient body. Like all such great works the core principles are what count and not the myriad of details.
Bushido in it’s widest sense is book on spirituality and the harvesting of the hearts and minds of the educated youth, for the common good. The ultimate old school network in which nothing much ever changed and in which order and obligation were to unquestioningly to your superior.
We are now again at the point in our history where such a work and principled philosophy is required for the betterment of our youth and our society as a whole.
marcmoor 