Relax, Focus, Relax

Relaxation is a crucial component of practice. No matter what techniques we're practicing, no matter what drills we're performing, relaxation is the beginning of all technique.
Relax the breath, relax the body, relax the mind. It is, in fact, the underlying mental state with which we must approach our practice at all times. Look at it this way. Practicing forms, basics, one-steps; sparring a bag, sparring with a partner - no matter the activity, we need to be fully present to be able to execute the art correctly. Technique can only improve, understanding can only grow, when we are utterly mindful of what we are doing in each moment. Otherwise, repetition is not a learning experience, it's just repetitive. And to be fully present in the moment, we need to relax.

Yes, we all understand the importance of being able to perform technique with power, with incredible explosiveness. But you have to appreciate the interrelationship between explosive speed, power and relaxation. To perform any strike, kick or lock with power, you must go from 0% tension to 100% tension just before the moment of focus, the moment of contact. You have to maintain that 100% focused tension as you drive 2-6 inches through your target, and then go back to 0% tension as you withdraw the strike. We also understand that greater speed helps to create greater force. But to really generate speed, the body has to be relaxed. You cannot throw a punch or a kick quickly if your body is tense.

An instructor can tell you to pivot, rotate, or fix your stance, put your hand here, re-cock your leg. But how do you teach people to relax? It's a feeling. It's a state of body and a state of mind. Most students come in and they swear that they are relaxed. But, they have at least 30% tension in their arms and their legs and their torsos. They just don't understand the concept; they don't know what 100% relaxation feels like. If you have 30% tension in your body, then even if you throw your technique perfectly, the best you can do is to go from 30% tension to 100% tension. The maximum power you can achieve comes from about 70% focus. You need to be completely relaxed until the moment of focus, then drive through with total focus, and relax again for the next strike.

This is part of the rationale behind Bruce Lee's famous "1 inch punch." Relax, focus, relax.

To relax the body, you must relax the mind. Most of our tension comes from mental stress and anxiety that we hold in our bodies. You're not going to relax your body as long as your mind is active, worrying, anticipating, and judging. We see this all the time - when a student is studying, when they're really trying to figure out a new concept, when their mind is very focused on what they are trying to learn, they tense their muscles, their posture becomes terrible, and you can see the stress in their body.

There's a clear mind-body connection. So, to be completely relaxed, you not only must discipline the body, you must have discipline of the mind. How do we gain discipline over the mind? At this point, I'm sure you all know the answer to that question. You simply must meditate. When you still your mind and slow your breath, the body starts to relax. You have to practice your diaphragmatic breathing, because breathing deeply and slowly from the diaphram will lead to relaxed breathing.

This is an absolute: for the body to be relaxed, the mind must be relaxed. When the mind is tense, the body is tense. So what causes the mind to be tense? Anxious thoughts. Sensory stimulation combines with memory to create thoughts that, in turn, create anticipation, imagination and anxiety about what happened or didn't happen or might happen or won't happen. You need to remain here, in the present, and to do that you need the ability to take control of your thoughts. If you have discipline over your mind, you can think about whatever you want for as long as you want.
You can focus for as long a period as you desire. If you have control over your mind, you have the ability to experience the senses or to unplug them. When you have control, you can engage in pleasant memory, or fantasy, or imagination when you want to, and still be focused here in the moment.

This is why I insist that meditation is the foundation of martial arts - because there is such an inseparable link between the mind and the body.

Meditation is the most misunderstood element of the martial arts. Meditation is often recognized as a component of Eastern religions but with regard to martial arts it describes a state of concentrated attention on some object of thought or awareness. It usually involves turning the attention inward to the mind itself.

Take control of your mind, take control of your life

Most of us are careful about what we put into our bodies. We understand that tobacco and alcohol can impair our health. While we may not always eat correctly, we're generally aware of what constitutes a healthy or unhealthy diet. We know we're supposed to get enough sleep, stretch and work out, etc. We're far less concerned or aware of the importance of what we put into our minds. But this is so important. If we want our minds to function at their best and stay relaxed, then we have to be very careful of how we treat our minds, and what we put in there.
Most of us watch way too much television. And the nature of television in recent years is to create loud, shocking statements and images. What happens is that 3-4 hours a day of bright, loud, dazzling words and images fills our minds with anxiety and anticipation and fantasy, and our bodies with stress and tension. To consciously relax, we must practice clearing our minds of all this noise. It would be helpful to this process if there weren't quite so much noise to contend with.
Take control of what goes into your mind.
Most of us have jobs that are stressful, full of deadlines and last minute emergencies, surprises from the boss or the client. If martial arts is more than just punching and kicking, more than just winning contests - then it must be applicable off the mats, outside the dojo as well. What does it mean that we call this the practice of martial arts? It means that when you practice techniques in the dojo, you are learning so much more than how to throw a punch correctly. You're learning how to focus, how to relax, how to coordinate mind and body. You're learning how to remain calm under stress. You're learning how to work hard with all your concentration, yet not so hard as to hurt yourself.
You're learning to work with a partner and you're becoming sensitive to motion and energy, both within yourself and in the world around you.
These are all valuable skills outside the dojo as well, in our everyday life. Don't imagine that your practice begins and ends at edge of the mat. When you remain calm in a crisis at work and patiently solve the problem, you are practicing martial arts. When you have a difference of opinion with your teenager (or with your parents) and you insist on maintaining the energy of conversation and not that of confrontation, you are practicing martial arts. When you can't sleep at 3:00 a.m. because of all the hectic activity in your life, and you patiently watch the breath and calm your mind, you are discovering what it means to be a martial artist, in ways far more meaningful than merely winning a punching and kicking contest.

Teaching Self-Control To Your Kids.



Kids are not born with self-control. For self-control to develop, it must be taught to your child at a very early age.
The only way for children to learn self-control is to be controlled by gentle, loving parents.
There are three key principles to raising healthy, confident kids with self-control. You've got to:

1. Establish clear rules, clear boundaries.
2. Make sure there are consequences (natural or logical) for not respecting those boundaries.
3. Have consistent follow-up-a zillion, million times, if that's what it takes.

Older kids, even those who have learned self-control, may go through a period when they resist your boundaries and rules. They are still conducting tests. Don't cave in. Even at this age, kids still need your guidance, your structure.

....From Keith Hafner's How to Build Rock Solid Kids

FRUIT FOR DESERT ??

One of the most unique characteristics of the Gracie Diet is that it isn't geared towards what foods you consume, as much as it is towards what foods you combine with one another. A clear example of this is the combination of sweet foods (Group C) and cooked foods (Group A).
Although fruits are very nutritious, when improperly combined, they can do more harm than good. Many people assume that because fruits have a high nutritional value they are always healthy to eat, and this is incorrect. No fruits or any other sweet foods, such as deserts (Group C), should ever be combined with a "cooked" (Group A) food or meal. Fruits and other Group C foods combine okay with each other and with one starch from Group B. Here is something to keep in mind:

·Avoid eating fruits or any other type of sweet deserts after cooked meals. Group C foods like fruits should never be combined with Group A foods.

We'd like to remind everyone
that Friday --- 27 July 2007
We will be holding our next belt exam.
Please review the testing schedule, exam roster, and upcoming events to see how it may affect you by visiting our website
@ http://www.athensmartialarts.net and clicking on the "Student Corner" icon.