Lessons from the Trail, part 2

There is a trail by our house with an awesome creek that runs for miles.  Several times I may or may not have wandered from the trail and gotten "lost".  Being lost in the woods can bring up all sorts of emotions and thoughts.  Rather than yell for the dog, or my wife or kids when I've gotten turned around I've learned that it's more helpful to be silent and listen for the sound of the creek.

So you've worked on the "pieces" and basic movement patterns warmed up and ready, now you're ready to train kata!  One of the important aspects of kata that I will intentionally leave out in my personal training is the use of "kiai".  When learning a kata "by the book", it is important to learn where the spirit and stress are supposed to go.  So while the kiai is important, I'll often leave it out when training to follow my second lesson from the trail: Shut Up and Listen.

To me, some of the more beautiful sounds of the dojo are the snapping of a dogi and the sliding of bare feet across the floor.  It's amazing how ofter we can miss these sounds by being so focused on what to do and how to move.  Listen to your uniform.  Listen to your feet.  Most importantly, listen to your breathing!

Don't think, and certainly don't talk...just shut up and listen to the beautiful sounds of karate.