Listening to the Labyrinth Worm
Have you ever seen Labyrinth, starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly? It's a 1986 movie that features the combined talents of Jim Henson and George Lucas. The film is weird, remarkable, and freaky...in a good way.
In the movie, a young Jennifer Connelly (Sarah) is aggravated with her life and role as perpetual babysitter to her younger brother (Toby). She wishes the Goblin King, a character from her favorite fairytale, would come take him away forever. Unfortunately for her, the Goblin King (Bowie) hears the request and obliges.
In order to save Toby, Sarah embarks on a long adventure through the Goblin King's Labyrinth to save him.
Very early on in the labyrinth Sarah becomes befuddled. No matter how far or fast she runs, she can't find any turns in the maze. It just seems endless and straight. She resolves to solve this puzzle by running even harder and faster down the corridor.
After what seems like an eternity of running, Sarah becomes flustered and stops. While agonizing over her fate, she hears a strange voice...
So What?
At first Sarah's journey seemed pretty simple - all she had to do was run as hard and fast as possible and she would eventually find the solution. However, she quickly realized the limited scope of her progress as she simply ran the preset path without thinking.
Eventually she paused...and met someone who was able to change her perspective. It turns out the improvement she was looking for miles down her current path existed right where she was standing.
In fact, had she been a little more patient, she could have learned even more.
In your training you can bang full steam ahead as long as you want, but there's no guarantee it will get you where you want to go. The walls will dictate you if you let them.
Always listen to a humble worm when it's trying to show you other perspectives. Talk to as many worms as possible. Listen for as long as possible. Become a worm yourself.
The Student’s Guide to Surviving a Traditional Dojo
The dojo can be a perplexing place. Everything is different - the clothes, the atmosphere, the terminology, the etiquette...it truly is a whole different culture. Why then are we expected to jump in without any knowledge of what to expect? Even experienced students get tripped up by the intricacies of the martial arts.
Every dojo has its own way of operating, but over the years I have found certain foundational concepts that lead practitioners to success and longevity in their training. I have also noticed some very common pitfalls that trap students in ways they never saw coming. It is my goal with this ebook to give students of all ages and ranks a deeper understanding of how to prosper in their chosen art.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE EBOOK NOW
Who It's For:
This ebook is for traditional martial artists of all styles and experience levels. I start at the very beginning in order to help prepare individuals who have never stepped foot in a dojo. I move on to explain how to achieve continued success for current students, and end with advanced advice for people who are black belt and beyond.
Parents who are starting their kids in the arts can also benefit. As a parent, it is critical that you have an understanding of what is normal and abnormal behavior in a martial art school. Furthermore, you'll want to learn how to deal with problem students, teachers, and other issues that could arise. You can also pass this ebook on to your child (depending on age of course) as it is written in a very accessible manner.
What's Inside:
Here is a small sampling of the info covered inside -
- Achieving a beginner's mindset
- Learning the martial arts uniform and belt
- Taking care of yourself and avoiding pitfalls
- Stretching and effective practice
- Handling problems with teachers and other students
- Fighting and self defense
- Dealing with rank and hierarchy
- Shuhari and lessons in being advanced
How To Download and Spread the Word:
To download the ebook, click on the above link or right here. If you are having trouble viewing it, make sure to install the latest version of Adobe Reader (which is also free). The ebook will likely open in a new window - from there click the little disk in the upper left hand corner to officially save it to your computer.
Link:
If you'd like to link to the ebook and tell your readers about it, here is some html (you can actually win some cool prizes by linking in):
<a href = "http://www.ikigaiway.com/2009/students-dojo-survival-guide/">Free Martial Arts Ebook - Student's Guide to Surviving a Traditional Dojo</a>
Tell a Friend:
Do you know someone who is either a martial artist or who has children in the arts? Help them today by sending a quick email with this url!
Stumble It:
Fan of Stumbleupon? If so, click here:
I hope you enjoy the book, and if you have any comments please leave them in the field below. I'm always looking for feedback or thoughts on what you think I should write about in the future.
Ebook Prize Giveaway = Hot Swag For You
A while ago I was doing a giveaway and Jesse Crouch from Martial Explorer said to me: "Hey buddy, how about a little something special for the people that are linking to you and talking about your stuff?"
I realized shortly after that, dangit, he was right! Since then I've been waiting for an opportunity to make that happen (which has finally arrived).
My free ebook "The Student's Guide to Surviving a Traditional Dojo" is out and ready to go! As people get a chance to check it out, I would greatly appreciate any links, reviews, or discussions of it. But, instead of just being grateful, I'd like to offer up some sweet prizes to anyone generous enough to mention the book on their own website.
First let's talk about the prizes, then the finer details.
The Prizes
For this contest there are going to be 3 winners (thanks to my good friends at Karate Depot). Each winner will be selected at random from the pool of participants. I will utilize a randomized computer program to ensure no shenanigans when selecting winners. Since the ebook is going to be about longevity in training and getting the most out of your martial arts experience, the prizes will reflect that goal:
3rd Place - Sheng Hua (Invigorating the Spirit) - Music CD
The music contained within this CD is based off of ancient Chinese therapeutic sounds. Using "The Origin of Disease in The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine", Sheng Hua seeks to unite a healthy mind and body to create a strong spirit. What could be more important to training than a strong spirit?
2nd Place - Elite Leather Focus Target
There was a lot of buzz about this cool little training tool during my last giveaway, so I thought I would bring it back for another go. This double sided striking target is of the highest quality and can greatly assist both kicking and punching practice.
1st Place - Complete Macho Warrior Sparring Set
The Warrior Sparring Set is Macho's top-of-the-line series. Complete with headgear, footpads, handpads, and mouthguard, this prize can prepare a new student for the rigors ahead or add some quality pads to a school's inventory.
How To Win
To be entered into the contest, you must hyperlink back to the ebook in some fashion from your own website (the appropriate url and link info will be provided on monday's release). Your link can be as simple as a sidebar hyperlink, or as involved as a entire post. If you review the book, it does not have to be glowing and positive in order to be entered (although I'd appreciate it, haha).
If you personally manage to convince another writer to talk about the ebook and link to it, not only will I enter their name into the drawing, but i'll put another entry in for your name. Yes, this is a pyramid scheme - but one where everybody wins.
Although i'll likely be able to track everybody's links, if you'd like to be sure you get proper recognition include a comment in the field below about what you've done or email me at ikigai108 @ gmail.com.
* * *
I'd also like to take a moment to thank everyone who submitted tips to the 'words of wisdom' section. For those people who I wasn't able to include, it was mostly a factor of repeated concepts rather than me disliking what you had to say. When there was overlap, I went on a first-come-first-entered basis just to be fair.
