How to Avoid Question Paranoia
There’s nothing more valuable to a martial arts teacher than good questions. When someone asks me a great one (and even shows the patience to listen to my answer) it just makes my day.
When I have some insight to a question, I enjoy sharing relevant stories and details that I think might help the student’s progress.
When I’m stumped, I get to say to myself: “Oh sh**………I dunno!” (also known as OSID moments).
OSID moments are worth their weight in gold and can be more helpful in a teacher’s development than any secret scroll found in the mountains of Japan guarded by the Tengu. The more experience you gain, the more knowledge you gain. But an OSID moment is a brief glimpse into an area of your study that you have either overlooked or shortchanged during your research. Furthermore, an OSID moment invites you to peek outside of your own box, which can become rather thick and opaque if you’re not careful.
It’s true, receiving questions is vital to a teacher. We also know that getting answers is essential to any student (almost goes without saying). Why then do we often find ourselves (both as students and teachers) in situations where question-asking-paranoia kicks in?
What is question-asking-paranoia?
It’s that flutter in your stomach. That cold sweat of uncertainty that takes your half raised hand and slams it back down to your side. The symptoms develop differently at every stage of your martial training, and the internal dialogue often goes like this:
Early stage: “Ohh man, I’m just a noob. I barely know enough to stand on my own two feet let alone ask any relevant questions. The other students are going to think I’m an idiot!”
Middle stage: “Ohh man, I’m in brown belt territory. If I want to test for black belt I better not show any gaps in what I know. I think I’ll clam up until after black belt so I don’t look like an idiot.”
Late stage: “Ohh man, I’m a black belt now and the other students are looking up to me. I better pretend like I know all this stuff already or they might think I’m an idiot!”
Very late stage: “Ohh man, I’m an Nth degree black belt and super guru. I couldn’t possibly ask a question…in fact, they should be asking ME questions. These guys are idiots.”
When you compare these very common mental roadblocks with the true value of questions (as clarified above), you’ll see the incongruity. This is a disease of the ego and of external perceptions which hinders your progress.
During your training you’ll almost inevitably find yourself fall into a trap just like this. I’d like to give you express e-permission to ignore it. Your ability to ask valuable questions should be practiced just as much as any punch, kick, or stance. In fact, your long term growth will depend on it.
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Interview: Bill Hayes, “Old Student”, Okinawa Shobayashi-ryu Karate-do (Part 2)
This is a continuation of the interview with Bill Hayes Sensei. Part 1 can be found here. Hayes Sensei is a senior practitioner of Shobayashi-Ryu Karate-do and a keeper of the old ways of Okinawan study. His personal experiences with Eizo Shimabukuro Sensei and the United States Marines (retired Major) have given him unique insight into the Ryukyuan Arts.
Hayes Sensei is a martial historian, subject matter expert for the U.S. Marines, and applications expert. He can often be found providing advice and insight to even the highest ranked instructors around the world. He refers to himself simply as “old student”.
And now the conclusion of the interview.
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Broken Kata, Bunkai, and Allowable Differences
Hayes Sensei discusses how Eizo Shimabukuro Sensei would consider certain student’s kata “broken”. This often occurred after long periods of time away from training on Okinawa, and sometimes after the ego of the practitioner had gotten ahold of his art and changed it for the worse. Also discussed are the matters of bunkai, oyo bunkai, and tichiki, the varying levels of application of kata. The final topic is that of hacho, allowable differences in order to make karate unique and effective for each individual.
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Grandmaster Book, Hinkaku (Special Dignity), and the Power of Nature
There are very few texts available that accurately portray old style training of karate on Okinawa, and Hayes Sensei is the author of one of those books. My Journey With the Grandmaster provides us with a unique glimpse into the culture, training, and philosophy of “te” as Hayes Sensei intermingles personal stories with technical and historical knowledge. This book is not available via standard resell. If you are interested in acquiring a copy, please print out this order form or contact Hayes Sensei directly with a book request.
Also discussed in this video is the concept of Hinkaku, a special dignity that only the highest gentleman (or gentlewoman) karateka can attain. The last topic mentioned is the power of nature in our training, and how to integrate it with meaning.
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Diet, Wellness, and Longevity
The Okinawans have been studied for years due to their unusual longevity and quality of life. Okinawa is a Blue Zone, and a combination of fitness, diet, community, and low stress has created a society of virtually no crime and strong, happy living. Hayes Sensei has spent much of his life adopting the ways of the Okinawans and figuring out ways in which western culture might successfully integrate some of those “good ideas” and apply them in their own lives.
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Personal Regiment, Hojo Undo (Body Conditioning), and Your Vision for Karate
In this final video Hayes Sensei discusses his own personal training. He describes how training can change as one ages and improves in skill level. He also mentions how he utilizes hojo undo, the classical method of Okinawan body conditioning. The video is finished with a discussion regarding his vision for the Okinawa Shorin Ryu Karatedo Kenkyu Kai Shobayashi-Kan, and how he would like to positively effect those who train with him.
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Many thanks to Hayes Sensei for his participation in this interview and for his tireless efforts in spreading “the way”!
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Interview: Bill Hayes, “Old Student”, Okinawa Shobayashi-ryu Karate-do (Part 1)
I’m very pleased to present this interview with Bill Hayes, Kyoshi of Shobayashi Karate-do. Hayes Sensei became a senior student of famed Okinawan instructor Eizo Shimabukuro and has worked diligently to pass along karate as it was originally taught to him over the course of multiple decades.
Hayes Sensei is a retired Major of the United States Marine Corps, having served two active tours of duty in Vietnam as well as three tours on Okinawa. He is often considered the “complete package” of Okinawan Karate, embodying Okinawan culture, diligent wellness, strong character, and technical transcendence.
Hayes Sensei is the author of the book “My Journey With the Grandmaster“, a work not originally intended for public consumption but now a staple in many traditional artist’s libraries. Hayes Sensei also publishes a quarterly newsletter containing rare bits of history and wisdom accrued over many years of research and study.
These days Hayes Sensei heads the Okinawa Shorin Ryu Karatedo Kenkyu Kai Shobayashi-Kan, a semi-private research group that he uses to guide students in a very personal way that mirrors the core essence of his original training on Okinawa.
I recently had the chance to sit down with Hayes Sensei and ask him a wide variety of questions, ranging from his personal experiences to matters of technique, as well as philosophical issues in present day training. I hope you enjoy the following videos, broken into topical sections.
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Beginnings, and Training with Eizo Shimabukuro OSensei
In the first video I ask Hayes Sensei to explain how he originally became interested in martial arts training. We go on to explore his original tours of duty in Vietnam and how they introduced him to the island of Okinawa. Also discussed is how Hayes Sensei originally met Eizo Shimabukuro, and what about OSensei made him so special.
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Karate Influences and Learning Theory, Meeting Korean “Tae Kwon Do”
Hayes Sensei explores some of his karate influences, as well as explaining how learning changes and adapts over the course of many years. Also discussed is some of Hayes Sensei’s travels to Okinawa and Japan, as well as training and teaching with South Korean Marines in Vietnam.
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Okinawa Evolves, The Tournament Scene, and the Development of MCMAP
In this video Hayes Sensei explains how he has seen Okinawa evolve over the years, and how certain “pipelines” of karate are fading away. Hayes Sensei also discusses his involvement with tournaments in the early days, and how he gained a reputation as a top tier Sai practitioner. The video is concluded with a discussion on Hayes Sensei’s involvement with the development of MCMAP, the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program.
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Read more in part 2 as Hayes Sensei discusses bunkai, hacho (allowable differences), long term wellness, philosophy, and much more!
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Discussing now…
(May 23, 2013 10:16 AM)
perhaps. But I remembering learning Tiger Crane form (188+ moves) for
...(May 21, 2013 7:24 PM)
Thanks a lot for reading Kennedy. Obviously I can’t say for certain when
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