F

Fudoshin [不動心]

The three characters/ideograms mean, "imperturbability; steadfastness; cool head in an emergency; keeping one's calm (e.g. during a fight)." The first character means, "negative; non-; bad; ugly; clumsy," the second means, "move; motion; change; confusion; shift; shake," and the third means, "heart; mind; spirit."

Once again this word along with its character is separated into three the this time are joined to have the general meaning in martial arts of being cool, calm and in control in a fight. It is a self-assured person through training, practice and a solid knowledge base that is a calm, not easily excited or upset, who remains some what in control of the mind thus controlling the body with emphasis as to being in conflict with the resulting chemical adrenaline dump, etc.

To achieve an immovable mind. One that is not distracted by external influences and remains without distractions that also come from the mind itself, i.e. the so called monkey brain. It has a strong influence toward the effectiveness of an advanced practitioner.

A term that means "indomitable mind, imperturbable mind and for martial arts it also means remaining cool, calm and collected in the heat of a fight. It is a immovable mind that cannot be disturbed by fear, anger, confusion, doubt, etc. and exudes a sense of natural confidence and fearlessness. It is a philosophical or mental dimension to a (usually Japanese) martial art which contributes to the effectiveness of the advanced practitioner.

Look at it as a means of practice, training and application that is unshakable, unmovable and has a spirit that is determined filled with courage, determination and endurance to overcome any and all of life's obstacles with emphasis on the more combative aspects found in karate-goshin-do. It is handling difficult situations with out anger or rage or fear.

Shikai: four sicknesses of the mind, i.e. anger, doubt, fear and surprise. Accomplished through the rigorous practice of zazen, i.e. to center oneself and clear the mind to develop a fudoshin mind.

Mushotoku [無所得] represents a state of mind where the spirit does not seek to obtain anything. This is the attitude of a mind that do not get attached to objects and that seeks no personal profit. Without this state of mind, Zazen is not authentic. Universal wisdom is rooted in Mushotoku and it transcends dualities and limitations created by our egos. When you are mushotoku, even if you lose you are always free, always happy.

Hishiryo is a state of mind beyond thinking and non-thinking. During Zazen, it is the normal condition of the consciousness.

Zanshin [残心] is the state when the mind is fully vigilant and aware of its surroundings; when the mind remains still without being attached to anything and is totally present during every moment and action in the here and now.

Mushin [無心] is the essence of Zen and Japanese martial arts. It is a state of mind where mind is not fixed on or occupied by any thought or emotion, and is thus connected to the Cosmos.

Satori [悟り · 覚り] is an experience; it is a state of mind. The posture of Zazen itself is Satori, and only through the harmony of body and mind one can discover the nature of Satori.

Satori exists in us long before we are born. Animals always have Satori, being constantly in their original condition, totally immersed in the present and connected to the Cosmos.

Fuhentekina gensoku [普遍的な原則]

The characters/ideograms mean "universal principles." The first character means, "universal; widely; generally," the second character means, "everywhere; times; widely; generally," the third character means, "bull's eye; mark; target; object," the fifth character means, "meadow; original; primitive; field; plain; prairie; tundra; wilderness," the sixth character means, "rule; follow; based on; model after."

Universal principles are those fundamental principles of martial systems that actually make the system work. It is universal to all combatives, not just martial arts of Asian descent. These principles apply to the European, Western and Eastern martial arts be it karate, aikido or any other system on the planet. If a system is to work in civil defense then it must apply and adhere to the universal fundamental principles of martial systems.

Fukakujitsusei [不確実性]

The characters/ideograms mean "uncertainty; indeterminacy; unreliability; unauthenticity." The first character means, "negative; non-; bad; ugly; clumsy," the second character means, "assurance; firm; tight; hard; solid; confirm; clear; evident," the third character means, "reality; truth," the fourth character means, "sex; gender; nature."

Uncertainty is a great crippler to anyone in a violent conflict. It is a part of training and practice to address all the uncertainties one will encounter so as to resolve and accept them and how you will act regardless of said uncertainties.

You may encounter the uncertainty of the conflict or violence your dealing with, about what will happen in the future, and about what resources, tactics and strategies you have, and what you will do it it is not enough. Even when we fully understand all the uncertainties we will encounter in self defense or as professionals who go into harms way as part of what they do we may be uncertain about which option we choose.

The time to address these is in training and practice. It is the ongoing, diligent and pervasive reality based training and practice along with cumulative real life experiences that will allow us to address and answer all uncertainties before we are in the fight or just about any problem in life. The active seeking to know, understand and apply the answers, that is a key.

My recent discovery is that there are five fundamental sources of uncertainty, one is you are missing information, two is unreliable information, three is conflicting information, four is noisy information and five is confusing information.

Missing Information: information you don't have, information you cannot locate buried in information overload, or cannot access the information you need.

Unreliable Information: You suspect the information is erroneous, or outdated, or you receive information from several sources.

Conflicting Information: The trusted information you have is inconsistent with other information you have and trust.

Noisy Information: when bombarded with information we can't recognize it with confidence to use it.

Confusing Information: We have all we need yet we cannot interpret it, i.e. so complex we can't form adequate cues and patterns to use it properly. The data could also provide more that one reasonable interpretation.

The point here is to address this in training and practice. Acknowledge it and then train and practice so that it will be overcome in a crunch allowing intuitive subconscious decisions to act appropriately to any situation.

Fukubu-kitae [腹部鍛え]

The characters/ideograms mean "conditioning of the stomach." The first character means, "abdomen; belly; stomach," the second character means, "section; bureau; dept; class; copy; part; portion," the third character means, "forge; discipline; train."

This terms refers to the conditioning of the stomach. This is done by becoming proficient in sanchin kata then by using an uke-tori training method where uke uses sanchin to tighten the abdomen and then tori strikes with the vertical fist to condition the stomach. This conditioning relies heavily on the person attacking to strike normally to the stomach. This does not condition for oblique blows to the stomach. Although it does condition for such blows the inherent make up of the body and its muscles allow more damage in an oblique blow. Conditioning will help to alleviate the extent of damage so you may continue to defend yourself but the damage can be extensive, etc.

Fuku Shibu Dojo [副支部道場]

The characters/ideograms mean "branch school." The first character means, "duplicate; copy," the second character means, "branch; support; sustain," the third character means, "section; bureau; dept; class; copy; part; portion," the fourth character means, "road-way; street; district; journey; course; moral; teachings,"  the fifth character means, "location; place."

This is the term used to identify a branch dojo directly under the guidance and supervision of the honbu dojo, or main dojo which is many cases is the dojo at the place of origin, i.e. Isshinryu has a honbu dojo in the island of Okinawa.

This also involves a connection to the cultural beliefs and the heritage/lineage of the system, i.e. ancients, founder, and students, etc.

Fukushidoin [副指導員]

The characters/ideograms mean "qualified assistant instructor." The first character means, "assistant; associate; deputy; substitute; auxiliary; supplementary; additional," the second character means, "finger; point to; indicate; put into; play (chess); measure (ruler)," the third character means, "guidance; leading; conduct; usher," the fourth character means, "employee; member; number; the one in charge."

Fukusū no kōgeki [複数の攻撃]

The characters/ideograms mean "multiple attackers." The first character means, "duplicate; double; compound; multiple," the second character means, "number; strength; fate; law; figures," the third character means, "aggression; attack," the fourth character means, "beat; attack; defeat; conquer."

As in life all things have two sides to their stories, the yin-yang concept. There is no more important aspect in teaching martial arts then making sure you cover both sides to the same coin.

In martial arts it is perceived that being a professional martial artists means you can clean up when a group of attackers confront you in the street. Fukusu-no-kogeki or "multiple attackers" are taught in a variety of self-defense courses to include martial arts training. I have experienced these sessions and found that more often than not the teachers stressed how an expert in the martial arts can easily take on two, three or more attackers then they jump right into the specifics of making this work.

Not true, fighting a group of people hell bent on your destruction is not a good think. No matter how well trained your are your chances of survival is slim at best. Avoidance is the only true way to win in this type of situation. If you find yourself attacked by a gang in a truly violent manner your toast and if your lucky you may survive but with great bodily harm.

When training to deal with multiple attackers you must consider both sides to that coin. You really have to accept that anything less is building a false sense of safety. I am not saying you need to fill your self-talk with "your going to get hurt" as that is not good self-talk but you should say to yourself that the odds are not good and you need to train accordingly - the goal is to survive and gain a safety zone.

In this situation you must understand that the odds are not great and that there are no guaranteed tactics, strategies or combination of techniques that will save the day. You won't be given any time to run through any of the OODA loop or even to skip straight to the action step because the amount of damage being rained down on you is overwhelming. It is never like the movies where they come in one at a time or in a strait line so you can deal with a one-on-one thing.

You will in all likelihood be blindsided and then the group will wail in on you with feet, boots, hands, and any implement of damage they brought along or find in the vicinity. It will be total and complete chaos and their goal is to do damage to you and receive no damage in return.

The rule here for group dynamics of this kind is "avoidance through awareness." I wouldn't count on deescalation working here too much, avoidance is the key to this one and your awareness of the environment is critical. But in the event your facing a group then what you train for is also critical. It must be reality based and teaching you specific techniques can be unrealistic and lead you to damage, damage, death.

Learn awareness, learn about violence and learn about group dynamics in a conflict. Even a group not bent on violence can be easily led toward it with little prompting - all it takes is one persons body language and demeanor to lead them to it.

Fukutsu no seishin [不屈の精神]

The characters/ideograms mean "indomitable spirit." The first character means, "negative; non-; bad; ugly; clumsy," the second character means, "yield; bend; flinch; submit," the third character means, "refined; ghost; fairy; energy; vitality; excellence; purity; skill," the last character means, "gods; mind; soul."

Fukutsu no seishin or indomitable spirit is that spirit that allows an individual to go beyond any semblance of fear. A point where fear has no effect and can be used to foster greater responses to conflict and violence.

It is the acquisition of ability to overcome the instincts to stop, quit or die and take measures going beyond normal into the stratosphere of magical ability or what seems like superhuman abilities. It is the person who does not just walk into harm's way but gladly goes with vigor and expectation of doing good, what is right and just, to get the job done.

Having an indomitable spirit in martial arts is the ability to never quit, to never submit, to never be defeated in anything done. It is a manner that projects a spirit that can not be vanquished, overcome or subdued. It is one who is never or seldom discouraged. It is the epitome of a martial artist. What we all aspire to become - Bushi.

A strength of mind, i.e. Seishin-ryoku [精神力], the emotional strength, force of will, that means mastery of self and body, mind, spirit.

Fumikomi geri [踏み込み]; cross kick

In this particular case I could not find any connection to fumikomi and cross kick or cross. Fumikomi and its characters/ideograms, i.e. [踏み込み], actually refer to "stepping into; breaking or rushing into." This does not actually translate, even remotely, to cross kick. It does speak to the ideology that this kick is implemented when someone steps into a close range to kick down and across into the shin, instep, etc. depending on system and teachings. So, in that view it might mean actually close into an adversary and cross a kick into that parson, etc. (a stretch I think)

The word and characters/ideograms I find closley match the English a "cross kick" is Wataru geri [渡る蹴] (the three in another translation means "kick passed.") where the first character and verb kana mean "to cross over; to go across; to extend; to cover; to range; to span." Add in the final character and you get "kick." It also can be used without the kana verb is removed to get cross kick out of the two characters.