H

Hachidori [蜂鳥]

The two characters/ideograms mean, "humming bird (Trochilidae family)." It is funny tho when you see the definition of the two characters, i.e. the first character/ideogram means, "bee; wasp; hornet," while the second character/ideogram means, "bird; chicken." I can not for the life of me see how those two totally distinctly different characters combined make for hummingbird, but they do.

It may be that hummingbird is usually written using "kana" alone, i.e. [ハミングバード]. For my purposes I prefer the actual kanji regardless of how vague it may or may not be.

The hummingbird has some special traits that seem to relate well to martial practice, training and applications. Some behavior characteristics are:

The hummingbird flies in a most unusual way.  They can sustain long term hovering, they are acrobatic in their flying patterns, and they can fly backwards as well as change direction almost instantly. The hummingbird although diminutive in size tend to be the most aggressive birds who will defend/drive intruders from their territory. They have been observed successfully repelling larger birds away from their preferred feeding areas.

A hummingbird can fly up to 500 miles non-stop across the Gulf of Mexico during the migrations seasons. They have a very keen eyesight. They can lick food at 10-15 times per second while feeding. Their aggressive capability allows them to fight jays, crows and hawks. The bill of the hummer is named, "sword-billed" hummingbirds.

If you relate the behavioral traits of the hummer you can see how said traits would be inspiring to a martial artist.

This is why I use both bamboo and the hummingbird as my personal "mon" and a symbol used in my web site. Both have traits and behaviors symbolized related to the Zen, Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist influences in martial arts.

Hachimaki [鉢巻]

The two characters/ideograms mean "headband." The first character means, "bowl; rice; tub; pot; crown," and the second character means, "scroll; volume; book; part; roll up; wind up; tie; coil." Some how the two combined mean headband.

The hachimaki is a cloth worn around the head in budo. It is a reminder to the practitioner that one must never train half-heartedly. It is a symbol of their dedication to hard work and it also keeps their hair from a disheveled appearance. Lastly it keeps sweat out of one's eyes in kumite.

This is a headband usually made of a white cloth and worn as a symbol of perseverance or effort by fighting artists. They were previously worn by the Kamikaze pilots in World War II. Sometimes they are decorated with various inspirational slogans like the rising sun on the hachimaki worn by the Kamikaze pilots.

To tie on the hachimaki has the same meaning as a Western gesture of rolling up one's sleeves - getting serious and beginning to work.

The hachimaki has a distinctive background in Okinawan culture beginning in its earlier history due mainly from the trade conducted with a variety of other cultures.

Somewhere around the late seventeen hundreds distinctive turbans were imported from the Southern Islands into Okinawa and were called "Hachimaki", which were used by the Okinawan gentry until modern times.

A person's rank was indicted by the quality of the cloth, the colors and applied designs, and the manner of folding and winding the hachimaki on the head.

The hachimaki became the material symbol of status in court hierarchy and was governed by rigid rules.

In Okinawa the hachimaki became the equivalent of the crowns and coronet of English princes, dukes, earls, and barons.

The hachimaki was reserved for higher officials at court yet almost all males wore their hair drawn up into a small top knot through which they struck one or more long pins.

The style and quality of these pins, called kanzashi, proclaimed the status of the wearer.

The higher aristocracy wore pins of chased and inlaid gold; silver for the intermediate ranks; plain brass or copper or wood for lower classes. The top not was worn off center at a jaunty angle.

This can still be seen worn by older Okinawan women today. Since the Okinawan draws a good deal of the culture from the Chinese the hachimaki became the same as those Chinese ideas of "cap rank".

In 1797 a noted and keen eyed Captain, Captain Broughton, wrote that the Okinawan coiffure and turban were "in the Malay style."

Hadashi [裸足]  or Suashi [素足]

The first characters/ideograms set means "barefoot." The first character means, "naked; nude; uncovered; partially clothed," and the second character means, "leg; foot; be sufficient." The second characters/ideograms mean "bare feet." The first character means, "elementary; principle; naked; uncovered," and the second character means, "leg; foot; be sufficient."

The term used most often in martial systems is hadashi, or bare feet/foot. Karate is traditionally practiced in bare feet. Some reasons for this is cultural. In Japan foot wear is not worn indoors. All shoes are left outside the front door. In ancient times during the feudal times when climate permitted the peasant class in Japan most often went barefoot.
                                       
The homes were floored with tatami mats or smooth wooden planks. These surfaces would be damaged quickly and badly by almost any kind of footwear. Being barefoot or clad in socks signified that one was in a fairly intimate setting within a person’s home. Not unlike in our country where visitors were invited in to "take off your shoes and sit a spell."

There are other reasons we go bare footed in the dojo other than in preventing damage to the floor. It has to do with physics from one perspective. To deliver power in karate comes off the back foot. The back heel must be firmly planted. Energy is transmitted through the solid base supplied by the feet. A karate-ka must feel how their feet make contact with the floor to learn how it can generate power.

The toes have a good deal to do with movement and coordinated balance depends largely on the toes connecting with the floor. The karate-ka grips the floor to pull themselves into their attack or block.

Squeeze and grip the floor with the toes; deliver power through a solid connection of the heels. These techniques are impossible to learn or practice wearing shoes.

There are times to practice with shoes as we will most likely end up in a self-defense situation while wearing them. This is like learning to write. We must first learn these techniques while barefoot then train in shoes to compensate for the time when we are required to defend ourselves on the street. Once you have practiced a sufficient time barefoot you should supplement your practice with shoes.

To practice in the dojo barefoot while you practice outside the dojo in shoes. A good combination in learning karate hadashi.

Haiken [拝見]

The characters/ideograms mean "seeing; look at." The first character means, "worship; adore; pray to," the second character means, "see; hopes; chances; idea; opinion; look at; visible."

This word is one sense used in martial arts written about through the ken-po goku-i. The eyes must see all sides is not just a literal meaning but metaphorical as well, i.e. what you see in your heart or what you perceive is in the heart of your adversary is just as important. Then there is the "third eye" often written about in more mystical terms through disciplines like yoga, etc.

Then there is the senses as to dominant sense modes that allow communications to be greater understood. This is a great teaching tool for the sensei tool box.

Hajime [始め]

The character/ideogram mean "beginning; start; outset; opening; first (in line, etc.); origin; such as ...; not to mention...; commence; begin."

A term used to begin some event in a martial art dojo or other venue for practice and teaching martial arts.

Hajimeru [始める]

The characters/ideograms mean "to start; to begin; to commence; to initiate; to originate; to open; to start up; to start (doing something); do begin to ..." The single character means, "commence; begin."

This term is used to "begin" something. To start something.

Hakke [八卦]; Pakua, Ba Qua (八卦) The eight trigrams (☰ ☱ ☲ ☳ ☴ ☵ ☶ ☷)

The characters/ideograms in Japanese mean "eight trigrams; divination signs." The first character means, "eight; eight radical (no. 12)," the second character means, "a divination sign." The word hakkesho [] means "eight trigrams palm; Ba Gua Zhang or Pa Kua Chang; martial art term." The third character means, "manipulate; rule; administer; conduct; palm of hand."

The eight trigrams are a product of the one. The one being the great tai chi that at the birth of the Universe separated into the two, the in-n-yo or yin-n-yang. The yin and yang were represented by a single solid line and single broken line. The two lines are then combined into pairs making four pairs called young yin, young yang, old yin and old yang, etc.

These four have a third line to represent the three powers creating eight trigrams or hakke, the divination signs used to create the sixty-four hexagrams used in the ancient classic, the I Ching.

The eight kata of Isshinryu as created through divination processes over many years of practice by Tatsuo-san are given birth from the one, Tatsuo-san, through the marriage of the two, Naihanchi from Shorinryu and Sanchin from Gojuryu, giving birth to the one, Isshinryu or the one heart way. Within Isshinryu the essence that is fundamental principle of the system are chinkuchi, muchimi and gamaku, i.e. whereby the true power of the system manifest.

In all things there is one and in Isshinryu, born from the one to the many as manifested by the three powers within Isshinryu, i.e. the father and mother paired to give birth to the one where the three powers combine and are named, Isshinryu. A manifestation of the two forces, yin and yang or naihanchi and sanchin or shorin and goju - soft-hard/yin-yan/in-yo.

The eight ken-po goku-i of Tatsuo-san correspond to the eight trigrams of the hakke or the Bagua. The base used to derive the I Ching a book used by Tatsuo-san for fortune-telling. The sacred number of the Ancient Chinese Classics is also nine. The ninth ken-po goku-i as created by Charles James now includes a sense of touch, tactile, etc. You can also see the octagonal trigram for bagua and note the eight sides but the ninth is represented by the center.

The ken-po goku-i refers to a balance through opposites. The I Ching with its hexagrams and trigrams also teach about balance through opposites along with an acceptance of change. The gokui teaches us indirectly about change. Tatsuo-san, head of Isshinryu, spoke often about change and its acceptance.

A balance of opposites can be achieved by first recognition of the concept. Then it is a matter of practice, training and application of the myriad things that is nature so as to achieve a balance between the opposites. It is this relational connection that provides us with a constant change from moment to moment. Our recognition and acceptance of changes and how they are created is our true Sensei.

Learning about the culture and beliefs that gave birth to the system and style of practice can open many doors and allow for out of the box thinking. This seems to me a corner stone of martial study.

Hakkei [発勁]

The characters/ideograms mean, "release internal power." The first character means, "departure; discharge; publish; emit; start from; disclose," the second character means, "strong."

This term helps to describe, on a fundamental or basic level, the physiological or physiokinetic model to generation of power using other principles, i.e. economic motion, etc, meaning to use a minimal amount of body motion to gain the most power possible without sacrificing other principles of martial systems. It describes a means to learning other principles that used holistically provide a martial artist both a physical and mental means to maximize their potential.

Hakuri [剥離]

The characters/ideograms mean "detachment; coming off; peeling off; separation." The first character means, "come off; peel; fade; discolor," and the second character means, "detach; separation; disjoin; digress."

This term is meant to show us "detachment." One must be detached from the need to be viewed and validated by others; to remove egoistic needs for material riches; and the need to surpass others, to defeat and dominate them. The point here is to achieve a means of detachment by staying in the present moment that causes all kinds of emotions and experiences from interfering with how we practice, train and apply martial arts.  Hakuri, detachment from ego, pride and external influences .....

Hanashi [話 ]

Hanashi deals with communications, i.e. talk; speech; chat; story; conversation; discussions, negotiation; argument." Covers a wide spectrum where the "art of communications" becomes a critical part of a whole self-protection strategy. In another aspect it also means self-talk, i.e. Jiko [自己].

Jiko's first character/ideogram means, "oneself," and the second one means, "self; snake; serpent; oneself." Jiko no Hanashi then can mean self-talk which itself is a critical strategy for self-protection.

Often conflict begins through miscommunications. There is this reality gap that is driven by a huge set of factors that without knowledge of them and their effects we fall into a repetitive loop that takes communications to conflict and at the high end physical conflicts. This is all of the "avoidance" art in martial practice and training.

After all, isn't the whole meaning of "do" to not get into physical conflicts? Isn't it wise to avoid where the first line of defense is self-talk or "the art of self talk, i.e. jiko no hanashi no geijutsu."

Handen [判断]

The characters/ideograms mean "judgement; decision; adjudication; conclusion; decipherment; divination." The first character means, "judgement; signature; stamp; seal," the second character means, "severance; decline; refuse; apologize; warn; dismiss; prohibit; decision; judgement; cutting."

Another term I suspect is not openly discussed as an important aspect to both martial arts and particularly self-defense. I suspect as did I at one time that it was a given that those who chose to practice and train in these disciplines would and will use good judgement in taking actions if avoidance and deescalation fail in self-defense.

We tend to assign judgement to the physical manifestations as the type of judgement as to which technique or combinations to use to wind the game, contest or tournament kumite match. How about the judgement to either use physical force or to not use physical force; how about the judgement to limit that force to remain within the legal definitions of self-defense or the bad judgement to go the extra distance to teach a thug a lesson; how about the judgement to use the correct communications to deescalate; how about the judgement to avoid the physical conflict by avoiding situations that would lead to a fight - fighting is illegal, right?

Judgement of the Sensei is also called into question when teaching, what judgement do they use to explain certain techniques and how their use may be interpreted in a legal sense so they can use their own judgement to use or not use as necessary.

Judgement, make it a priority topic in your self-defense curriculum! 

Han Hakama [半袴]

The characters/ideograms mean, “short pants above the knees.” The first character means, “half; middle; semi-; part-,” the second character means, “men’s formal divided skirt.”

The type of karate wear worn by the early pioneers of karate on the island of Okinawa. The temperatures get high along with the humidity so Okinawans word the han-hakama to remain cool yet allow freedom of movement to practice karate. This type of wear was usually accompanied by bare upper bodies. It lasted until at least 1926 at which time it may have been replaced with the new karate uniform as derived from the Japanese Judo-gi.

Hanko [判子]

The characters/ideograms mean "seal (used for signature); chops or stamps for signature." The first character means, "judgement; signature; stamp; seal," the second character means, "child; sign of the rat; 11PM-1AM; first sign of Chinese zodiac."

In a more traditional form of martial system the Hanko is the red square with the dojo master's signature in kanji that is stamped on the document for rank or teaching credentials, etc. In some Koryu based dojo you will see a partial hanko near an edge because the other half is applied to a register with your credentials in that dojo, etc. This practice in not used except in systems that remain fully and completely traditional.

Hanpuku [反復]

The characters/ideograms mean "repetition; iteration; recursion; recurrence; recapitulation." The first character means, "anti-," the second character means, "restore; return to; revert; resume."

This one should be obvious but just the same it involves the need and benefit of using repetitive practices, i.e. the iteration of techniques as either basics or within the scope of kata practice and training. It is this method coupled with intent, etc. that encodes the lizard brain to use them in times of stress and conflict.

Hanpuku renshū [反復練習]

The characters/ideograms mean "repetitive practice; practice by repetition; learning by rote." The first character means, "anti-," the second character means, "restore; return to; revert; resume," the third character means, "practice; gloss; train; drill; polish; refine," the fourth character means, "learn."

Repetitive practice is the corner stone to learning self-defense through martial arts. In his book on timing Loren Christensen Sensei states, "Success comes from constant training, constant examination of yourself, and constant examination of your material." Repetitive practice is how this is accomplished.

To encode the mind, body and spirit you train in a repetitive manner. The mind and brain usually retain only about thirty percent of any material presented and then the inaccuracies of perceptions and sensory interpretations add to this mix so it take repetitive practice and study to weed out the flack and get to the grain, the stuff that nourishes the body, mind and spirit.

Hanpuku renshu, repetitive practice, the cornerstone of the castle you build that is your martial art system(s).

Hara no Mushi (Hah-rah no Muu-she) [腹の虫]

The characters/ideograms mean "(metaphor for) empty stomach; feeling of hunger; (metaphor for) location of one's feelings or sentiments; roundworm; mawworm; intestinal worm." The first character means, "abdomen; belly; stomach," the third character means, "insect; bug; temper."

In the martial arts many legends abound about the "sixth" sense of masters. It is a more cultural phrase that literally means stomach worms but is often referred to as a sixth sense or what westerners refer to as "gut feelings." This reference to the hara is because the Asian culture and belief places a great deal on the hara or the center of human beings that westerners often make reference toward the heart in a similar context.

In the Asian cultures and especially in martial arts hara or belly is the source of one's temper, courage, resolve, pride, etc. and is also referred to when they use what is perceived as instinctive telepathic ability, i.e. to read anothers intent as if by magic. The ability to read others is referred to as hara-gei or the "art of the belly."

Hara [腹]

The character/ideogram means, "the belly; the abdomen; the stomach; mind; spirit," as well as "one's mind; one's real intentions; one's true motive. The hara is a complex issue with inferences as to cultural origins through a term, haragei.

When westerners think of hara or stomach they may not equate that to more than the physical. Hara and haragei have a good deal more to teach us once we actually define its meaning as to the culture and beliefs of the people where it originates.

In Japanese and other Asian cultures, the stomach or abdomen has traditionally been considered the center of one's being or life, and in that sense this area of the body is the equivalent of the mind or the heart in a Western context. In its Japanese context, the abdomen is the source of temper, courage, resolve,  generosity, pride, and so on, as well as being the site for an instinctive or telepathy-like ability that makes it possible for some especially skilled people to read other people's minds. This mind-reading ability is known as haragei or "the art of the belly," and is one of the most important human relations skills in Japanese culture.

Hara no mushi literally means "stomach worms": hara means "stomach" and mushi means "worms." But figuratively it refers to a "sixth sense," or in more colloquial terms, "gut feelings," and is one of a number of colloquial expressions in Japanese that are based on this meaning of mushi.

Describing someone as hara ga okii, literally "having a big stomach," actually means that the person is big-hearted, and the description is therefore complimentary.

Anytime one is angry, discontented, disappointed, or when a person instinctively dislikes someone, the cause is often attributed to hara no mushi. Why someone is disliked is mushi ga sukanai or "my worm doesn't like that person." - Boye LaFayette DeMente

Hara is a way to describe the lower half of the torso of the human body. We divide the body into three sections, the lower or the hara is considered the seat of the bodies power and energy. The middle section holds the main section of the human body containing all the organs, etc. while the upper section the lungs, shoulders and protective ribs, etc.

The movement of the body is related more with the hara than the other sections all though all three work in tandem to move the body in any direction. Attached to the body are the legs, the arms and the head.

This post is to explain how this is used in martial arts regarding health, fitness and strength. It has been said, rightfully so, that all movement and strength is derived from and dependent on the hara or the midsection. The midsection of the body allows for movement in a variety of directions.

Often westerners mistakenly assume that strength and power come from the muscular strength build up in the extremities such as the arms, shoulders, legs, arms, feet and hands. Westerners tend to focus on those area's to build musculature giving the perception of strength and power when reality tells us that it all begins in the hara or the midsection of the body.

The hara is comprised of the largest muscle group of the entire body. It literally connects the entire body skeletal and muscular groups of the body for a holistic strong body thus mind and spirit. It then tells us that if we focus on strengthening and making optimal use of that section, the hara or midsection, that by association the rest of the body will strengthen in support of that part.

In martial arts westerners tend to focus on things like strikes and punches. That is good but they tend to focus on the strength displayed when performing techniques giving thoughts that a strong arm and hand or strong leg and foot will provide power. To a certain extent that is true but true power comes from how we move the entire body. It is the overall mass and velocity of that body in relation to the strike or kick, etc. that provides power at its greatest.

It is my theory, and I tend to work our for strength and health while practicing and training for strength and power, that to focus on the hara with the types of training, practice and exercises it will result in a body that works in unison to achieve the most power possible for things like self-defense. It even comes to mind that with recent study of ground work that this part of the body provides the ability to move in such a manner that allows for self-defense.

An example of the types of exercises I use to work the hara and thereby the arms, legs, etc. would be a twisting exercise using the bo, the long staff or the short jo staff, and hand weights to rotate the body with a focus on the midsection group of muscles, tendons, etc. to strengthen and so forth. If one uses or focuses on that muscle group while performing, training and practicing both empty hand and weapons of martial systems they also add to the strength, condition and health of the hara.

I suggest that along with a focus of the hara for execution of the various techniques used for self-defense that we also focus on that same aspect when we exercise, train kata, train upper and lower basics and even in all the forms of kumite then we can maximize the hara for use in martial arts or any other physical discipline. Use your imagination to develop exercises using your weapons along side normal fitness equipment like weights and don't forget the unique tools of hojo-undo, etc.

Hari te tarumu [張り弛む]

The characters/ideograms mean "to tense up; to relax." The first character means, "stretch; tension; resilience; springiness; tone; will-power; pluck; pride," the second character means, "indicates continuing action," the last two characters mean "to slacken; to loosen; to relax." The first of those two characters means, "slacken; relax," and the last character is a conjugation in support of the ideogram that precedes it.

Hari comes from the verb haru. This relates to the concept of sanchin in karate circles. Sanchin is a form or kata that provides a means to train the body and mind in the hard-soft concepts, i.e. to "tense up" and then to "relax or assume a positive relaxed state." The important aspect here is that this is a antagonistical symbiotic relationship of both hard and soft much like yin-yang, i.e. where a bit of yin resides in the full yang and a bit of yang resides in the full yin. Both symbiotic in nature but separate even in the transition from one to the other as if it were one distinct action.

Hari-te-tarumu is a term that helps explain the concept used within the sanchin kata practiced in Okinawan karate-jutsu-do.

Hashira [柱]

The character/ideogram means "pillar; post; support; prop; mainstay." In Japanese Shintoism the word and character refer to the "pillar" or rather "deity. It is considered the deities of centrifugality and centripetality to be the "pillars" or "poles" of yin and yang. These two poles are where energy, polarized energy, emerge.

The emergence of this energy represents the movement between the two poles, pole to pole, or the ebb and flow of energy as represented by the yin-yang symbolism. It is often told as the story of the reed shoot springing like all vegetation from the point where the two poles are one as if out of the earth - symbolic of yang - and grows toward the heavens, symbolic of yin.

The martial arts works on this energy and the concept of negative and positive energies as circulation of the heavens as well as the blood of humans. The hard and soft, the balance and unbalance, the seeing or hearing, the touching and smelling, the striking and the time to strike, drinking and spitting, and a person's heart being the same as heaven and earth.

We have within the martial arts the physical and the spiritual. The kata and kumite. The fundamentals as to principles of structure being aligned and misaligned.  Hashira makes reference to those two pillars that support the mainstay of the martial arts, those principles often symbolized within such tomes as the gokui and the I Ching, all as lessons to man to achieve levels that lead to enlightenment. In this case the proficiency to govern and apply marital arts and principles in a morally fit manner for the individual, the dojo and the society as a whole.

Hatsu [初]

This character means "new; first." It is a character being used by Erik Strange, a member of the Kaze Uta Budo Kai. He is using his personal art of this character for his "sho-dan's." Its Chinese meaning is "beginning or first rank. How appropriate. He explains that the original ideogram is "scissors cutting into cloth as a beginning of making clothing." I really like that symbolism.

If you would like to see his rendition of the certificate along with the history of the cloth on which the characters are artistically rendered, see it HERE. The Japanese word if given here along with the character provided by Erik Strange. Thanks for this source Mr. Strange.

Hatsu geiko [初稽古]

The characters/ideograms mean "first practice of year." The first character means, "first time; beginning," the second character means, "think; consider," the third character means, "old."

The years beginning practice is a time for setting new goals and establishing the proper mental, maintaining your relationship with the dojo, and setting the physical and spiritual attitude of your practice for that year. New Year's training, which lasts several days and finishes with competitions and special events.

See also "keiko osame."

Hayaku [早く]

The characters/ideograms mean "early; soon; quickly; swiftly; rapidly; fast." The single/first character means, "early; fast." This one speaks to the development of speed where it must be achieved gradually while maintaining the integrity of the fundamental principles of martial systems. Some may not realize that it is actually the principles that contribute a good deal to achieving both speed and force.

Hayaku, or speed is essential to all body movement, i.e. techniques, alignment, structure, displacement and how they are applied in learning through basics, kata, drills, kumite, makiwara, hojo undo, etc.

As with all aspects of marital arts, nothing is to be rushed and patience is a virtue not just in life but especially in maintaining and retaining the integrity of the entire martial system.

Hiza ate [膝蹴 or 膝潰]; knee smash

The first two characters/ideograms mean "knee kick." The second two characters mean "knee smash" which has hiza-kai as its English translation at the site I am using for this one. Another characters/ideogram [膝砕] means loosly "knee smash" but has hiza-kudaku giri. This one remains either hiza-ate or better yet hiza-kudaku for knee smash. If you use hiza-ate I don't consider that incorrect since I cannot prove otherwise.

I did find that ate does mean "blow; strike" as well as "guard; pad." It might actually mean that hiza-ate is a means to block or guard from a strike or blow using the leg or knee which is plausible.

Heiho [兵法]

The characters/ideograms mean "art of war; strategy; tactics." The first character means, "soldier; private; troops; army; warfare; strategy; tactics," the second character means, "method; law; rule; principle; model; system."

The term refers to martial principles and military strategy.

Heiko [平衡]

The characters/ideograms mean "equilibrium; balance; equalization; even scale." The first character means, "even; flat; peace," and the second character means, "equilibrium; scale; measuring rod."

I have covered a bit about balance in other area's but this one is unique for it involves addressing the balance of the mind. Kokoro no heiko [心の平衡] or mind balance. There is much to balance out.

Yin-yang, good-bad, hard-soft then there is how we balance out what we have applied in a conflict to the after-effects of that action. Does the dojo cover these things. The ken-po goku-i alludes to this balancing of life decisions and effects but seldom does it come up in training and practice. All to often one is told to apply a specific amount of power and force toward another specific attack technique and to do so without restraint or limitations. This is a sure way to suffer the after effects, the consequences of your actions.

Anger vs. joy. frustration vs. serenity, fear vs. peace .... finding balance in handling the emotional roller coaster we call life where some instances on the track we encounter conflicts that are potentially dangerous. How our minds handle this and achieve balance that neither exceeds nor stifles appropriateness in action. That is the rub, the bent nail, the rubber as it hits the road.

Heiko-do [併行道]

The first two characters/ideograms mean "side-by-side; abreast; concurrent; occurring together; at the same time; parallel." The first character means, "join; get together; unite; collective," and the second character means, "going; journey." The third character is added for the way, path, road, i.e. do or michi. The character means, "road-way; street; district; journey; course; moral; teachings."

This is in reference to the philosophy of a "parallel path" within the martial arts. This is bringing the physical to the spiritual for a more dualistic holistic wholehearted way of practice and training. It is connecting the brutal physical with the heart felt morally spiritual path for a wholehearted lift path that tempers the emotional insistence that one must use the physical for personal reasoning that may be either morally set or immorally set.

To leave out the true balance or equilibrium of the body-mind or body-psyche connections is to leave out the essence of karate or any martial system. It is taking a parallel path that couples the disciplines of karate or martial system to the path in life that promotes progress and growth. It determines the type of growth and progress one gains in jutsu-do.

Hendou [変動]

The characters/ideograms mean "change; fluctuation." The first character means, "unusual; change; strange," and the second character means, "move; motion; change; confusion; shift; shake."

A technique to experiment with and adjust a system of tactics to fit the individual practitioner. A Sensei or any practitioner for that matter uses this technique to achieve "HA" in Shu-ha-ri, to become more than the dogmatic specificity imbued by a master's influence along with traditional doctrine.

In Isshinryu Tatsuo-san was known, confirmed by first gen students and his second son Cisco Sensei, to perform karate, kata in particular, differently. He fluctuated, changed, shifted how he did kata and it is a theory of mine that he did this living to the spirit and system of Shu-ha-ri. It was stated once by his second son that Tatsuo-san became the gokui inferring that his spiritual attainment reached the "RI" stage of shu-ha-ri. I cannot say that this is or is not a urban legend story but Cisco did say something about his reaching a higher level of goku-i.

Henka [変化]

The characters/ideograms mean "transition; transformation; transfiguration; mutation; alteration; variation; change; metamorphosis." The first character means, "unusual; change; strange," the second character means, "change; take the form of; influence; enchant; delude."

This word is important for those in long standing practice of martial arts, i.e. transition or transitioning. It speaks to the various ages of practitioners and the sensei who is responsible for their progress. As with many other aspects of teaching or mentoring a practitioner of martial systems recognizing the many various physical attributes that change the way one is taught matters so it goes to say that one aspect that warrants consideration is the fact that all of us "age."

Taking the time to understand and adjust training and practice to the age related changes one encounters in life is also of importance. We tend to lose sight of this aspect in our early years with all the ability and testerone we use up with out much thought but one day we all tend to lose some of the physical abilaity as well as psychological when age becomes more apparent.

Henka or transitions also speaks to those transitions within the martial system of practice. A good example is the transitioning of a novice to a student then from student to expert and finally expert to mastery of the system. As with age and other considerations the henka of the system also either promotes continuance or promotes a falling out and loss of practitioners.

As you know already a good sensei has absorbed all of this and in most cases has experienced henka, it is one of the unspoken aspects of budo training, practice and teaching that is important.

Henkei [変形]

The characters/ideograms mean "transformation; variation; metamorphosis; modification; deformation; variety; deformity; monster." The first character means, "unusual; change; strange," the second character means, "shape; form; style."

Variations, martial arts consist of fundamental waza and variations. There are no secret, hidden or advanced techniques/waza but there are variants that will come to practitioners who practice hard, diligently and with discipline. The waza of kata all have their systems, style or branch traits but they all will give birth to variations, variety and change that is variations or henkei of waza.

Henko [変更]

The characters/ideograms mean "change; modification; alteration; revision; amendment." The first character means, "unusual; change; strange," the second character means, "grow late; night watch; sit up late; of course; renew; renovate; again; more and more; further."

In the view of martial systems like Isshinryu some embrace the inevitability of change while others remain steadfast in the concept that change is a denigration of a system like Isshinryu. Henko or change speaks to this in recent history on Okinawa. It is felt or theorized that "the core or essence of karate is the focus on change in Okinawan Ti.

It brings up another aspect of teaching karate where today's role seems to focus on the group which requires steadfast adherence to regimented methods to reach those groups while Okinawan Ti is to teach to the individual, personal attention to correctly develop their personal essence of Okinawa Ti thus achieving the true meaning of Okinawan Karate.

In Isshinryu one can perceive many aspects of its creation as possible derived from Tatsuo-san's life effort in divining the changes for one's future through his expertise in sumuchi or rather unsei handan (fortune telling). His fortune telling involved more of telling a person what changes to expect and how to make the best of them per the I Ching and Chinese astrological charts, etc.

It is clear that Tatsuo-san, much like his teachers of Okinawan Ti, embraced change and it is my feelings that he tried to convey their importance through his actions in both practice and teaching along with a presentation of the ken-po goku-i.

Then again, like all things of this nature, it is merely speculation, theory or my views as to my studies and research.

Hihantekishikō-hō [批判的思考法]

The characters/ideograms mean "critical thinking." The first character means, "criticism; strike," the second character means, "judgement; signature; stamp; seal," the third character means, "bull's eye; mark; target; object," the fourth character means, "Think," the fifth character means, "consider; think over," the sixth character means, "method; law; rule; principle; model; system."

Hihantekishikō-hō or critical thinking is a term used to describe the mental/intellectual activity to discover the facts and knowledge of something. It validates your beliefs and makes them more knowledge supporting the belief and it also, martial artists use this, validates actions, i.e. the actions taken such as techniques used in tactics used in strategies for defense.

It is the breaking of the belief that one does not ask the master or sensei questions. It is asking those questions that give you knowledge allowing you to find what works and does not work for you. It provides you the ability to observe and analyze in finding evidence to validate a belief, i.e. does this particular technique work for me? It is like asking if a particular action is possible and since martial arts deals with chaotic conflicts this becomes important.

You should be prompted and supported in all your questions. How does sensei know something is effective? You observe sensei and senpai and find the evidence that validates. You still have to do the same by participating and practicing to find out if it then works for you. We are all individuals and this is why there are so many variations, styles and systems - to accommodate the individual combatant.

Create within your practice and training a set of facts, knowledge that is backed by testable, verifiable processes that work for you. It is a reality check, i.e. finding out what is real and what is not real.

If you ask for clarity and find a lack of reference you should look at it as a sign of a lack of supporting evidence therefore invalidating until supporting evidence is presented or discovered. Do not "assume." Input is essential to any open system.

Martial arts is filled full of information and it can be difficult due to this enormous amount of information. It is imperative you enter into it with a bit of skepticism, ask questions and look for the type of response that validates and holds true under the scrutiny of critical thinking, i.e. Hihantekishikō-hō.

Higaisha [被害者] Kodo [行動]

Higaisha no kodo [被害者の行動]

The characters/ideograms/phrase means "victim behavior." The first character means, "incur; cover; veil; brood over; shelter; wear; put on; receiving," the second character means, "harm; injury," the third character means, "someone; person," the fifth character means, "going; journey," the sixth character means, "move; motion; change; confusion; shift; shake."

When I use this term I use the term as it is defined by Rory Miller at the Chiron blog under the post titled, "No Good Answers." http://chirontraining.blogspot.com/2012/08/no-good-answers.html

If my understanding is good, i.e. I would say he means: "What happens to most folks when suddenly and unexpectedly finding themselves in the thick of an attack? Rory Miller in his recent blog post speaks to the victim behavior most often found in such attacks. Read his post here, i.e. "No Good Answers" http://chirontraining.blogspot.com/2012/08/no-good-answers.html

I believe he speaks to the "freeze." Along with the freeze is the instincts to cover up or protect the face. If they are suddenly yanked/pulled the tend to pull away when in reality they should step in and eliminate the threat. Most often the attacked person even if a well-trained, i.e. what is well-trained here I wonder, will fall into the monkey dance using a faulty base, lousy body structure and posture along with other body mechanics and they will leave their centerline unprotected.

Even if the attacked tries to fight back they end up using it without full commitment to eliminate the threat and end up trying to communicate some message to the uncommunicable.

Are these victim behaviors being addressed in your system of martial arts, self-defense, etc.? Hmmm, always get some interesting material to think about from Chiron blog - :-)"

Hihyo/hihyou [批評]

The characters/ideograms mean "criticism; review; commentary." the first character means, "criticism; strike," the second character means, "evaluate; criticism; comment."

Critique, review and commentary. All three apply to this aspect of martial arts especially if you practice toward self-defense. Your weakest link in the fight is the one you foster before the fight comes close to you. If you are unable or unwilling to allow for criticism of how you apply martial systems toward self-defense you leave a huge hole in your defense for the adversary or opponent to exploit and in the fight that means damage and possibly death.

You have to expose yourself to the critical eye of all those professionals who literally come before you and importantly who have gained the type of knowledge and experience in this field. Only through the challenge and exposure to larger opponents/adversaries and to a larger experience level can you be seen in all ways necessary to review, critique and comment on for learning.

Hihyo is often a burden hardest to bear but without it you cannot learn, grow and prosper as a martial artist especially when it comes to self-defense.

Caveat: this assumes you have gone the full route with avoidance and deescalation, etc. ;-)

Hiko ya tatakai [飛行や戦い]

The characters/ideograms mean "flight or fight." The first character means, "fly; skip (pages); scatter," the second character means, "going; journey," the fifth character means, "war; battle; match." The kana used, i.e. the third and last character means, "hey; hey you."

This is in regards to the flight or fight model often discussed in martial arts or other civil type systems of defense. It is also discussed in combative models as well.

First, flight or fight responses are instinctive in nature and are part and parcel to the "survival instincts" we naturally have as humans. It comes from those ancient days when we had to either run from a lion attack or defend ourselves when cornered by the lion, etc. We have not found in nature a need to evolve past this need and that is good since our new world is filled with far more dangerous stimuli and situations then in those ancient times. These times can be just as deadly even if the end result is not to be eaten by the lion.

In this effort it is best to explain how the system works, our bodies and minds that is, as to the physical and chemical dumps we experience when confronted by danger, fear, etc.

First view this youtube video, "Fight or Flight Response." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2GywoS77qc&feature=youtu.be

Then read the post at Gary at the Academy blog: http://garryattheacademy.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/are-you-a-fundamentalist/

Then there within that blog post is also a link to an article "Fear Control" http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?article=258

Addendum dtd September 18th 2012 9:29 a.m.

epinephrine: A hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, esp. in conditions of stress, increasing rates of blood circulation, breathing, and carbohydrate metabolism and preparing muscles for exertion

Norepinephrine: A hormone that is released by the adrenal medulla and by the sympathetic nerves and functions as a neurotransmitter. It is also used as a drug to raise blood pressure; a catecholamine precursor of epinephrine that is secreted by the adrenal medulla and also released at synapses; A hormone produced in the adrenal medulla and secreted under stress; contributes to the "fight or flight" response; neurotransmitter and a hormone. It is released by the sympathetic nervous system onto the heart, blood vessels, and other organs and by the adrenal gland into the bloodstream as part of the fight-or-flight response;

The flight or fight response is an instinct survival process of humans. It involves our senses, mostly sight but also auditory and tactile. The senses may be dominated by sight but the others contribute to the system. For this we will refer to sight, we see a dangerous situation so we have to process that visual stimuli in our brains. The brain will send a message to our nervous system, i.e. the nervous system is attached to our muscles which respond to the threat.

Then the sympathetic nervous system will send a signal from the hypothalamus adrenal medulla that puts out adrenaline and epinephrine which floods the body. In actuality the epinephrine is what induces the breathing to increase, the heart beat to increase, the constriction or slowing of the digestive system and the vasodilatation of the muscles, vessels and there for increased blood flow of the body. The action part of this equation.

The muscles, etc. are flooded also by the energy flood, i.e. the liver will produce glycogen which then produces glucose - energy, that floods the bodies muscular system which is already in a heightened state  so the glucose will infuse the muscles with energy.

Now, I may not have this as accurate as could be but this is a better understanding of how the body works/reacts to dangerous stimuli, situations or events. It is a matter of fear and anger control. Knowing how it works then finding the training and practice model that helps us control these models is a goal of martial arts.

Hin [品]

The character/ideogram means "elegance; grace; refinement; class; dignity." This particular term speaks to a form of Okinawan Bushi, i.e. where the teachings and practice of a martial artists is one that leads toward gentlemanly and noble characteristics. It is a form of tempering the brutality aspects of karate-goshin-do toward a more elegant or quality of practitioner who does apply the aspect of bushi toward his training, practice and teachings.

The best way to teach this is to "do it" in the dojo starting with the sensei and the senpai, i.e. those who lead by example. It does not mean that some form of academics are not taught as well because to achieve results one must first teach those academics so the mind, the brain, has some reference point to draw from and then the actions of sensei and senpai will have more meaning and greater validity and capability to instill true bushi within each person.

Sensei and senpai must teach the technical but then there is the mind-set on how to use that knowledge, how to confront adversity such as in the chaotic environment of violent conflicts. The mind is truly our last battlefield for our minds set the stage for all we do in life and not just in the fight or in violent situations of all kinds.

It is the deportment of the practitioner outside of violence that truly trains how that same person acts in situations of conflict that could lead to violence. It also speaks to the level of actual physical violence necessary for each situation to remain within the moral standards of self, the dojo and society.

Hin is also the self imposed guiding principles that make one more than a mere brutal fighter but a gentleman, an Okinawan Bushi. It is a higher sense of purpose, i.e. mokuteki [目的]; purpose; goal; aim; objective and intention (eye; class; look; insight; experience; care; favor AND bull's eye; mark; target; object.)

Hin is learning to be understanding and restrained in stress oriented scenario's. It is being a more noble, wise, and humble karate-ka. It is a mental and spiritual training and practice. It is attaining humanity, humility, elegance, humbleness, fortitude, rectitude, etc.

Hin is enhancing your innate essence to have a solid foundation or core set of values that enable you to see yourself as a bushi/gentleman and not a bully, aggressor or criminal. The values and ideals instilled in martial artists is critical to maintain that bushi status that sets one above a mere brutal violent animal. It is a new way of thinking. It is a huge responsibility that must be the yin to the yang of acquisition of great power found in all martial arts.

Hin is to become a hero, a great martial artists, not to become just like the guys on the streets who do violence as a way of life. Become a true gentleman, a noble, humble and wise karate-ka, become an Okinawan Bushi.

Hinan gassen [非難合戦]

The characters/ideograms mean "(engaging in a round of) mutual criticism; repeated attacks on each other." The first character means, "mistake; negative; injustice," the second character means, "difficult; impossible; trouble; accident; defect," the third character means, "fit; suit; join," the fourth character means, "battle; war; match."

The first two characters as standalone mean "blame." This entire set of characters refers to the mutual criticism or blame two persons heap on one another in a conflict. It is part of the monkey dance or rather the pre-monkey dance. This is the stuff that usually leads both parties toward the actual monkey dance. In the end it can mean fighting. Fighting is illegal. Yes, it is and don't argue with me cause your wrong. Of course since you are adamant about your view and belief you are thinking to yourself, "no, your wrong because It is my right too ...." Ops, pre-monkey dancing leading the the actual physical dance we are both gong to do to force the other person to believe our belief.

Once you begin those repeated attacks, verbal at first, your headed down that slippery slope that means, fight. Fighting is violence, it is also illegal. Our society looks down on fighting even if the male species seems a bit aggressive in our nature. We tend to look at that aggressiveness today as competitive spirit. In reality competitive spirit is channeling our aggressive tendencies toward a more acceptable means of blowing off aggressive steam.

What goes is when our aggressive tendencies mix with other so called recreational endeavors it sometimes rubs ego's and pride the wrong way and in the mix it is easy to leap into a more aggressive and violent or conflict mode.

When ever you engage in a conflict, when you take part in a violent struggle involving the exchange of physical techniques or the use of weapons you are fighting and therefore breaking the law.

When ever you engage in a conflict you have to remember that in the eyes of society and the legal system "it takes two to tango." You don't just get up on the dance floor and to the tango. You will need to address another person and get them to agree to dance with you. In a nutshell when ever you participate in a conflict you are agree to dance with the other person - that is why they call it the monkey dance.

You think you are in the right, he thinks he is in the right and both of you refuse to give an inch. Yep, your headed for a fight. Even in this instance you cannot claim self-defense the moment you agree to the monkey dance with the other person.

Hiniku [皮肉]

The characters/ideograms mean "cynicism; sarcasm; irony; satire." The first character means, "pelt; skin; hide; leather," the second character means, "meat." The term "Hinikuru" [皮肉る] characters/ideograms mean "to speak cynically or with sarcasm." The two first characters mean the same but the adjective has a case particle added that gives it this additional meaning.

Why would this term involve martial arts? Good question, to be cynical and hostile means you have an inherent distrust of people. You as martial artists should recognize a cynical and hostile person for who they are so to avoid conflict. The cynical and hostile person will always interpret and perceive things in a negative way, they think that most people are just naturally bad.

If you find yourself explaining away all negative and positive things as suspect toward the worst case scenario then you might find yourself gravitating toward more difficult situations resulting in a natural tendency toward conflict - which can escalate to physical altercations if not rained in and controlled. Recognizing or identifying the type adds to your tool box of avoidance and deescalation.

Example when in a heated conversation with another person, you recognize their cynical and hostile view of the world and recognize that you cannot dissuade them from their beliefs. You understand that it is up to you to deescalate the conversation so it does not reach a higher level of emotional influences so you adjust your communications toward miller's law and then deescalate in your communications.

Remember that the brain does not distinguish between real insults and imagined ones. You get the same stress reactions and chemical dumps, i.e. your heart rate will increase, your blood pressure as well, and those   chemicals will flood throughout your body and mind regardless. Recognize the signs and control it to your advantage. Cynicism or Hiniku/Hinikuru are just one of those traits of humans that can lead to a fight, avoid it.

Hinkaku [品格] [賓格] [賓客]

The characters/ideograms mean, "First: dignity; quality of character," "second: objective case," and "third: guest of honor; privileged guest; visitor."

To capture a bit of what is meant when one is considered for yokozuna (sumo) promotion, I would expand the definition to mean "to capture (or embody) the spirit of something".

When one is considered for yokozuna promotion, not only is his record considered, but also how he would act / represent both the rank of Yokozuna and (more generally) the entire sport of sumo (including its ties to shinto).

Hirateuchi [平手打ち]

The characters/ideograms mean "slap; spanking." The first character means, "even; flat; peace," the second character means, "hand," the third character means, "strike; hit; knock; pound; dozen."

Hirateuchi or the slap is a martial art technique not often given enough floor time for self-defense. Using a slap can work well and leave an impression that the giver of said slap was working to keep it out of the aggressive violent arena that is perceived when you ball Denial, a instinctual reaction to stressful events of life. When confronted by stresses that seem beyond our capability to control or that instill a sense of great fear and trepidation we instinctually enter a state of denial. This is a coping mechanism. It is needed so that we humans can survive the really big events that would trigger the fear of life instinct. Our minds want to block out such stressful and fearful things and this applies to violence, that violence that goes beyond the social monkey dance - true predatory violence.

We tend to encounter things and when they really trigger the instincts toward preservation we automatically enter a world of denial. You see this sometimes when a person is attacked and the drop down into a fetal type position hoping it will go away without the person dying.

In very volatile positions we tend to quickly refocus on more simple tasks and/or daily trivialities. Even intellectuals will display an instinctual tendency toward denial. We see this in martial arts as well, i.e. persons who come to believe in specifics as associated with their system/style and leadership within the system/style. When confronted with the discomfort of being wrong, the insist to remain with the comfort of that questionable belief.

In self-defense we tend to shift our focus away from those things that cause us the greatest stress, fear and trepidations and focus on the easier, simpler and comfortable ways or methods.

It has been said that a warrior in denial is the ultimate manifestation of hubris and pride. No person is more prideful than one who believes themselves immune to the dangers of violence in the world. When we thing to ourselves, "it can't happen to me," we are entering the human instinctual model of denial.up your fist to strike someone. Open hands are generally perceived as a peaceful gesture when used properly.

Have you or anyone you know considered the effectiveness of the slap in self-defense? Are you aware of the slap vs. the fist for striking or in the case of the open hand, literally, slapping? It is a matter of soft-to-hard-n-hard-to-soft, a term/phrase I first discovered reading Marc MacYoung's stuff, when applying a martial art technique in a protection/defense scenario.

Consider this, the repercussions of a self-defense defense in legal matters could mean the difference between either jail and/or financial ruin and freedom and financial solidity. If your hands go directly to a fist then the system may perceive and interpret this as an offense gesture in lieu of defensive. An open hand held in a manner that is considered peaceful and non-aggressive may go a long way to start proving your defense for self-defense.

If someone is approaching me in an aggressive manner shouting how he is going to kick my rear end and I step back, raise my palms up by my face and neck facing outward and I say, "Whoa, I don't want to fight you sir," this may be perceived by witnesses and viewers of cell phone video as a posture that is not aggressive or to promote aggression or violence or conflict, etc.

This warrants considerable thought and testing.

Hira-teuchi-waza [平手打技]

The characters/ideograms mean "to slap; to strike; to spank; technique." The first character means, "even; flat; peace," the second character means, "hand," the third character means, "strike; hit; knock; pound," the fourth character means, "skill; art; craft; ability; feat; performance; vocation, arts."

The slap technique is the primary self-defense hand technique you can use. It it assumed when someone enters into your specific safety/security zone, i.e. the zone in which that person or adversary can do damage to you. When your awareness signals an approach that may be dangerous you can hold up your hands with the palms facing forward at about shoulder level to indicate you don't want any trouble. You couple this with a strong non-threatening voice telling this person to stop or back off. You may have to move to keep a safe distance while maintaining your awareness for a path of escape, etc.

If they continue to move forward your hands and forearms are up covering your torso, neck and lower face while leaving you a clear view of the advancing person. Your movement allows you to avoid as well as provide you a peripheral view around you as much as possible while maintaining your eyes and peripheral on your adversary.

If the advanced continues and you cannot move down a path to safety and escape then you can slap to parry any hand movements, etc. then use the slap to hit specific area's that can overload their nervous, etc. systems causing them to be dazed or even knocked out. Note that this is a last resort because you missed the opportunity to avoid being a victim completely and to deescalate.

This doesn't always work either since you could have been attacked by surprise from the rear. In that case hope your training allows you to act while being hurt badly, continuously and with vigor.

Don't discount the slapping technique. There are a variety of reasons why a slap is used. First is the hard-to-soft/soft-to-hard rule I first heard about from the Animal list by Marc MacYoung. This is not the Slavo Slap he speaks of but rather the rule that you use a soft, slap, to the hard parts of the body and a hard, punch or strike with fist, to the softer parts of the body.

Second, using a slap in self-defense can be perceived as a means by which you are trying to stop an attack with a method that is not considered a fighting technique but more in line with defensive techniques. If you have you hands up with palms out facing toward an adversary it is often considered a sign of "don't want to fight but want to not fight" type thing. It is considered a defensive posture and a clear sign to someone on the attack you don't want to fight.

Third, when applied quickly to certain points on the body it can have the effect that stops a fight from beginning if you feel the adversaries attack is imminent. It does when applied correctly stop an attack.

I use the slap a lot in practice for just these types of reasons. You can hit someone a solid hit with the slap so they are getting use to being hit and having it hurt. You can use the slap and done correctly hit pretty hard without doing real or significant damage. When you slap someone in certain places it sends a message that the person has been hit and that they failed to avoid that hit, etc. Look at it as the first stage of introduction to violence both social and asocial.

If you don't get hit and if you don't get yourself conditioned, mentally and physically, toward getting hit then when you do in reality it will result in a freeze and possibly a lot of damage before you can act. Feeling a good hit and then acting is a hard thing to learn and incorporate. When you are attacked in a predatory manner you have to act, you have to be able to take violent, fast and flurry type hits and still act.

I know that at one black belt test they asked me, a visiting karate-ka, to spar with the guy testing. So, after his first sparring session I stepped up to spar with him. I said spar, sparring is not fighting, so told him it would be easy and to take his time. I said this because he had never faced me before and I wanted to see how he would react to an unknown since his other dojo practitioners were sparring with him and he was use to their tactics and strategies.

I spent the time going slow and easy but I used a good, solid slap method most of the time and a few hard flat fist punches to certain points of the body that I knew would not result in hurting him or injuries. When we gathered later a few of his dojo mates commented they thought that I was a bit to rough on him. Regardless, this young person had never truly been hit. Even with this light sparring session he had reacted badly when hit and often simply backed off to recuperate vs. acting to counter and stop my attack. I did often push him relentlessly then would back off after about three or four combinations and he did the sport thing by not pressing the opportunity of my backing off.

This session I use as an example speaks to the need to hit and get hit but also to the sportive aspects that teach one to do things that are not good in a real fight. The slap can be a useful tool as well as teach a person to use both the slap and the fist, not forgetting other body tools like the elbow, etc., to achieve good self-defense.

Now, there is a type of slap I learned of on a Yahoo group, the Animal List, called the Slavo Slap. Until I read an article by Wim Demeere, the Wim Demeere's Blog titled "Martial Arts Myths: Death Touch" I had not actually seen the Slavo slap in action. I assumed it was a slap to specific hard targets that worked similar to striking pressure points or vulnerable points of the body. The video's he has shows how they can work and it is not just a simple slap.

Hitei [否定]

The characters/ideograms mean "denial; negation; repudiation; not operation." The first character means, "negate; no; noes; refuse; decline; deny," the second character means, "determine; fix; establish; decide."

Denial or hitei are killers. The self-denial we allow our minds to inflict on ourselves often is a primary reason why self-defense fails to work for us. It is a mind-set that is negative and unproductive. Jiko no hanashi no geijutsu is the art of self talk that promotes greater confidence that affects the mind-set and is a primary teaching tool and practice tool of all martial artists.

Denial is believing you are not fast enough, denial means you believe you are never going to get old or never going to feel the effects of the fall and winter years - the aging effects. Denial is believing you are inferior in many ways and as you can see it is a killer, it kills your confidence and that kills your ability to act, do and believe in yourself.

Hitei or denial is a killer and your goal is to address it openly in the training hall and turn it around so your confidence will carry the mind-set through any obstacle life throughs at you. If you wish to succeed in martial arts then make the removal of denial thinking your goal.

Hito Gino [人技能]

The characters/ideograms mean "people skills." The first character means, "person; man; human being; people," the second character means, "skill; art; craft; ability; feat; performance; vocation; arts," the third character means, "ability; talent; skill; capacity."

People skills are possibly the most important skill a martial artists can learn in self defense. People skills first and foremost requires we understand ourselves and how to moderate our responses in any given situation where we still have the opportunity to deescalate a conflict. It is then about the ability to talk effectively and empathizing accurately with an adversary who is possible angry, fearful or just about any emotional state. It is respecting and listening to the other in order to use people skills to deescalate.

It is a set of learned interpersonal skills coupled with appropriate knowledge and continuously gained experience that will allow you to first, remain calm or at least appear calm to others. It is recognizing your own emotional reactions to conflict where you will tend to be affected by the adversaries own emotional state. It is utilizing such tactics as speaking slower and quieter to effect the adversaries state reducing the emotionally driven effects.

It is remembering to leave your monkey driven responses that come from adrenaline and its brothers and sisters ego, pride and tribal status instincts. It is a matter of using breathing, recognition of self and deescalation of self to accomplish deescalation of others.

Hito gino or people skills are an important part of any self defense model. It comes long before the physical aspects because avoiding the physical and all its repercussions is a far better strategy than simply taking the other person out.

Hito henkei (Benka) [人変形]

The characters/ideograms mean "personal variations." The first character means, "person," the second character means, "unusual; change; strange," and the third character means, "shape; form; style."

Hito Henkei (Benka) means "personal variations". Practitioners who have attained a certain proficiency in karate-do through a constant and consistent practice have found that this crucial part of karate-do has provided them the insight to create spontaneously (see also shu-ha-ri).

You will see this manifested in the personal signature on their kata, kumite, and more. Their kata will be as they were taught yet you will sense, if you are close to this level, something different. It may be a type of rhythm, a type of flow, or something either tangible or intangible or both.

In their kumite it will be an almost super human quality that is not readily apparent yet experienced by being on the receiving end. You may say this person is "Kaiketsu" or a person of extraordinary talent.

Hitotsu ni ōku no nagare [一つに多くの流れ]

The characters/ideograms, etc. mean "The flow of many into one." The characters and kana form a maxim of the fundamentals principles of martial system also known as the book of martial powers by Stephen J. Pearlman. The characters alone mean, "one," "many; frequent; much," and "flow; current; a sink; forfeit."

These principles (FPofMS) bring about a philosophy that transcends those created within any specific system or style. This philosophy was derived from the work of Stephen J. Pearlman, i.e. his bai liu ha yi or one hundred styles flow into one. The philosophy applied to Okinawan and all martial systems is "Hitotsu ni oku no nagare." This philosophy means, "The flow of many into one." It is redacted from Pearlman Sensei's philosophy into one that relates to the philosophy taught through Tatsuo-san of Isshinryu's ken-po goku-i. His was formulated from his studies of the Ancient Chinese Classics such as the I-Ching and the Tao-te-ching, etc.

When you speak of the ancient classics regarding the I Ching and the Great Tai Chi you must discuss the one. All things begin with the one. The great tai chi began as a singularity that upon the great explosion divided into the two that is the yin-n-yang. The yin-yang then divided into the trigrams and hexagrams that make the I Ching the book it has become over the centuries. This is the basis for all things that are born of the one. This philosophy permeates all the myriad things that is life including the martial arts.

When studying martial arts disciplines you break the whole of the system into its many atomistic parts. As you study you begin to meld all the atomistic parts into the various whole until finally you achieve the one holistic wholehearted whole that is martial arts or a martial system. The systems and styles themselves are born from the one as well as all the myriad things. The systems are bound together by the commonality and singularity of the one that are the principles that are the foundation of all systems making all systems and styles the one martial art or martial jutsu.

It has been taught that maybe one is the top of the pyramid and the basics are the bottom or base foundation. As the entire process is of a circle that is the symbol for the one whole or eternity without a beginning or end then we can extrapolate that mastery means returning to the base to climb back to the pinnacle of martial training and practice. One bonds with the other forming a wholehearted whole that is based strictly on the fundamental principles of martial systems forming the one true system of martial arts.

As can be seen by the individual collection of martial systems and when mastered found to all be based on those principles making the many flow into the one martial system. Human tendency to break things down to the atomistic are only completed when understanding and knowledge allow for the return to the one wholehearted holistic whole that is the one martial art on which all systems and styles are derived. It is the only way an individual can see the whole after breaking the whole into the many. After proficiency in the many can one flow back into the one.

Hitsuji [羊], Bokuyo inu [牧羊犬], and Okami [狼]

The terms/characters/ideograms mean "sheep; sheep dog; wolf." The first term, hitsuji, character/ideogram means "sheep (Ovis aries)." The second term, character/ideograms mean "sheepdog." The first character means, "breed; care for; shepherd; feed; pasture," the second character means, "sheep," the third character means, "dog." The third term, character/ideogram means "wolf (carnivore; Canis lupus); wolf (in sheep's clothing)."

In martial arts this set of terms, characters, and ideograms is used to symbolize the nature of human's in regards to survival as explained by Lt.Col. Dave Grossman in his book, "On Killing." See also: http://www.gleamingedge.com/mirrors/onsheepwolvesandsheepdogs.html

Hojo Undo [補助運動]

The first character/ideogram means, "supplement; supply; make good; offset; compensate; assistant; learner," while the second character means, "help; rescue; assist," and the third means, "carry; luck; destiny; fate; lot; transport; progress; advance," and the forth character means, "move; motion; change; confusion; shift; shake."

The word "hojo" when translated into its character/ideogram means, "assistance; support; aid; help; subsidy; supplement; auxiliary; spot (in bodybuilding). The word "undo" when translate into its character/ideogram means, "motion; exercise."

Michael Clarke who authored the book by the same says, I quote, "Hojo undo means 'supplemental training equipment' for traditional martial artists. ... The value of hojo undo is that the strength building exercises are linked to the motion of the fighting techniques of karate ... "

The conditioning system specifically used in Okinawan Karate systems to develop amidextrous strength, stamina, muscle coordination, speed and body alignment/posture/mechanics, etc. It uses traditional Okinawan developed devices, classical or traditional, made from a variety of locally produced materials like wood, stone, ceramics and metals.

The classical equipment are "Chi Ishi, Ishi Sashi, Makiage kigu, Makiwara, Nigiri game, Tetsu geta, Jari bako, Kongoken, Tou, Tan, etc. This system follows closely the junbi-undo system of exercises where they are supplemented with the above equipment that is also specific to karate training and practice. It focuses on specific body development meant to enhance the application of fundamental principles as the apply to marital systems, their techniques, etc.

In the Isshinryu system the basics, upper and lower body exercises/techniques, are the junbi-undo of Isshinryu while the addition of the equipment such as the makiwara are hojo-undo supplement/enhancements to carry development of the mind, body and spirit beyond the limitations of junbi-undo.

Hokai (Kuzushi [崩]) [崩壊]

The characters/ideograms mean "collapse; crumbling; breaking down; caving in; decay (physics)." The first character means, "crumble; die; demolish; level," the second character means, "demolition, break; destroy."

This term is used with the phrase in martial arts, i.e. "happo [八方] no kuzushi" where Hokai is the word used today for the word kuzushi. In martial arts it fundamentally means "to break or upset" an adversary. Happo means "all sides; large hanging lantern." The first character means, "eight," the second character means, "direction; person; alternative."

The phrase indicates that one is to break or upset the center of gravity of an advisory from any of the eight directions, i.e. north, north-west, west, south-west, south, south-east, east, north-east. Don't assume that this is restrictive when we all are aware that there are many directions between these eight including coming from a superior position above and below the adversary. It does give a teaching point of reference is why is is used.

Also, don't assume that this means unbalancing the opponent although it is a part of it. This is a means of explaining a more intricate application of technique. In this instance causing one's center to drift off its gravitational balance point opens the opponent to a variety of techniques since the mind and body will lose its focus on the attack and focus exclusively, for a moment or two and maybe even result in a mind-freeze, on the body returning to its equilibrium with gravity.

To cause the disruption of an opponents center-of-gravity form manipulation associated with a specific technique that could, but not necessarily, result in loss of balance letting gravity apply the technique, i.e. body weight pulled down to the hard ground over a short distance causing force and thus damage to the body, etc.

The reason this is not actually a balance thing for throwing, etc. is because balance goes to both the physical and the psychological balance of an opponent/adversary.

Hokori [謙虚誇り]

The characters/ideograms when combined mean "humility and pride." The first character means, "self-effacing; humble oneself; condescend; be modest," the second character means, "void; emptiness; unpreparedness; crack; fissure; untruth," and the third character means, "boast; be proud. pride. triumphantly."

As defined by Google dictionary: Humility is the state of being humble. The opposite of pride or haughtiness. A disposition to be humble. As defined by Google dictionary: Unreasonable and inordinate self-esteem. Satisfaction with your (or another's) achievements.

Miyagi Sensei spoke of humility to his students and always mentioned that students of karate-do trained daily to build strength, stamina, spirit, and technical skill. This type of training created an environment within and without the student so their spirit would grow as well. He would expound on being humble. He meant that as you progress in the way your skill and confidence will grow as well. Sometimes this leads to pride and a certain bravado that reflected in the person’s demeanor and actions. He wanted the student to reflect on the training and their level and always remember that with out humility it is all for naught. They become mere puppets with no heart or soul.

Develop humility and modesty. It is a mark of one with low self-esteem and a lack of self-confidence who feels the need to show off their skills and brag about their level of expertise. In reality one who attains that level of the way realizes that they have no need to prove anything to anyone and only to themselves.

As one reaches this level it becomes necessary to challenge yourself to go a little harder and a little further with each step on the path to the way of the empty hand.

In order to reach this spiritual level one must train diligently with an open mind and heart without the desire or need for power or control. Power and control signify one who is full of pride and conceit.

Let karate-do develop your spirit and let your own ego with its selfish objectives go. The path consists of one traveling towards harmony of spirit and mind. Challenge yourself daily; push yourself harder and a little further; train for a balanced life that also consists of humility and humbleness.

Honbu Dojo [本部 道場]

The first two characters/ideograms mean "headquarters; head office; main office," and the second two characters means "dojo (hall used for marital arts training) and manda (place of Buddhist practice or meditation."

The western karate systems use this term to denote that place where their system/branch began or where the current, active, master of the system/branch holds training and practice.

The individual characters/ideograms have the following meanings, i.e. first character means, "book; present; main; origin; true; real," the second means, "section; bureau; department; class; copy; part; portion," the third means, "road-way; street; district; journey; course; moral; teachings," and the last character means, "location; place."

You can say the honbu dojo is the home dojo of the system of karate where it is managed or governed by its director-general or what we in the west often state, the master.

Honshin [本心]

The characters/ideograms mean "true feelings; root spirit; true heart; heart-mind; original mind." The first character means, "book; present; main; origin; true; real," the second character means, "heart; mind; spirit."

"The concept of honshin is that of one's true essence or heart of hearts; an internal moral compass, or something akin to a conscience. By heeding the honshin, one can find the way back to one's true moral and essential nature (by virtue of michi). The idea of connecting to one's true, inner self - the original mind, aligned with nature, unclouded by sensory misperceptions, calculations, or cognitive deliberations - is an old one in Japanese and Chinese thought. It is the concept that involves overcoming the clutter of false perception or dualistic interaction with the world, and discovering one's inborn essential character of harmony with the nature universe." - Linda Yiannakis

Honshitsu [本質]

The characters/ideograms mean, “Essence; true nature; substance; reality.” The first character means, “Book; present; main; origin; true; real,” the second character means, “substance; quality; matter; temperament.”

There is an essence that is the absolute true nature to things. It is that one substance that creates natures reality. It is the origin of the thing much like DNA is the very essence of what humans and nature are in the Universe. It results when inter connected to the culture and beliefs we acquire in our lives as we travel through each moment that creates the spirit that is our nature and our personality. It is a substance that can be readily seen by others of substance and tells our story at a glance. It is that instrument that writes the stories that is the “book” of our life with a set ending that can lead us back to nature.

In martial arts the essence is that something that gives life to the wholehearted holistic reality spawned from the practice, training and application of the art toward our life. It serves us best when we embrace that essence and allow it to give life to our practice, training and application be it physically, spiritually or as a guide or way to mastery, humbleness and personal growth.

Honshitsu is a tool or term much like the Tao Te Ching where by words are inadequate to describe the way as we try to describe the martial way’s essence. It manifests itself from the one true essence as it branches out to become the fundamental principles of martial systems. These same four primary principles apply to not just life, health and well-being and not just martial prowess and mastery. Losing site of this leaves a practitioner stagnant in a pool of mud.

The one becomes the yin-yang. The yin-yang balances all things in life, nature and the Universe. Its continued flow gives birth to all things in the Universe and that includes the disciplines that make humans, human. When a person becomes enlightened then the inspirations rise up naturally and instinctively. This is how the ken-po goku-i was given life. It is a koan that helps us discover and release our potential starting with a martial way such as Karate.

It is that key that unlocks the full potential of principles that properly held close to the heart lead toward a good, moral and content life. It also leads us to a kind of proficiency in any discipline that leads to mastery. Not dominance or an ability to overcome others in combat but to achieve mastery over our lives allows us freedom, security and safety in all things.

Honshitsu or essence can mean many things and we have discussed only a smallest of parts here today. Seek out your potential!

Honto [本当] Kata [型]

The characters mean "reality; real; truth." The first character means, "book; present; main; origin; true; real," and the second character means, "hit; right; appropriate; himself."

Honto or Hon or Honto-no-imi [本当の意味] refers to the "real" meaning of something. In this particular case it refers to kata or Honto Kata. Major Bill Hayes once again opened a door not readily seen before by myself and I suspect others too.

He tells us in his book, "My Journey with the Grandmaster," that the "real" kata or Honto Kata are the kata with all the extra "balancing" moves removed. This type of kata starts and ends in a different spot, you will likely end up facing in a different direction and it will take a lot less time to perform.

He tells us that O' Sensei Shimabukuro of Shorin-ryu explains that the sets of three techniques in kata are as follows:

1. The first technique is the real one. 
2. The second technique is to train the other side for balanced development. 3. The third is to put you back in the same position as the first technique.

This removal of the balanced portions creates a short, intense, violent kata, the Honto kata. (see bibliography for Major Hayes Sensei book.)

Once you become proficient in this form you move to a more chaotic kata practice where you allow your inspiration to pull in various kata techniques into a new form. This type of practice works wonders with bunkai. The fundamental bunkai taught as a novice is to provide a tool that shows the practitioner the potential so when they reach this stage they can devise, create and test their own bunkai. The important thing is to make it work in kumite training using drills to start, one/two/three step drills and then free style in kumite drills to achieve proficiency. (Note: this is why my sensei required green belt before ever doing drills or kumite so we would have a foundation from kata and we were required to use technique from kata in kumite, slow and easy to start, to actually use karate in fighting vs. the sport set of combinations used today).

Hoshiki [方式] Bunseki-sha [分析者]

The characters/ideograms mean "system analyst." The first set of characters/ideograms mean "form; method; system; formula." The first character means, "direction; person; alternative," the second character means, "style; ceremony; rite; function; method; system; form; expression." The second set of characters/ideograms mean "analyst." The first character means, "part; minute of time; segment; share; degree; one's duty; duty; understand; know; rate," the second character means, "chop; divide; tear; analyze," the third character means, "someone; person."

In my work I perform system analysis much like a martial arts practitioner must also perform a system, i.e. as in the system/style they practice, analysis where one breaks down what they are attempting to learn into small chunks/parts so that when put back into the whole of the system will bring about mastery and thus proficiency.

Hoshiki bunseki-sha, or system analyst is to dig deep and thoroughly into the system of practice which would include the culture and belief systems of those who created the systems, i.e. in my case the Okinawan master of Isshinryu, Shimabuku Tatsuo Sensei and his cultural belief system that inspired his creation of Isshinryu - much like your systems master and creator.

also

We use the terms "martial system" or "karate style" when we speak of the entire system of practice yet do we fully understand what it means to refer to our style as a style or system.

A system is a set of interconnected components that work together for a common cause that results in some effect that none of the components could achieve alone. It is a compilation of persons, procedures, and supporting techniques/tactics/strategies, organized into groups that play different scenario's (Scenarios are good for exploring how system do and ought to work). This would apply to any and all systems including a martial system.

Isshinryu is a system. It is a system within another system. The other system is generally accepted by the Okinawan karate culture as Shorin-ryu even tho there is a smidgeon of goju-ryu as a parent system involved as well.

Scenario's are useful at the fundamental or basic levels to transfer basic knowledge to the fledgling student. It then becomes incumbent upon those individuals to take this to the next level in order to learn the entire system. An entire system can be labeled into three categories such as "shu-ha-ri" to achieve the overall goals and strategies that make the system work.

It is the complete and holistic application of principles, strategies and tactics that make the system work. The interconnected components are often mistakenly thought of as the techniques used to combat techniques applied in a scenario. The interconnected components that make a system whole go way beyond the mere physical applications. There must be a culture and belief system and as many more esoteric components that are learned and applied leading through other components before the physical. It spans the mind through social standards and into environmental considerations that allow for other more esoteric components that allow for avoidance and deescalation. Then if all else fails the physical component is activated yet it must be activated with components that speak to the legal, moral and medical (both physical and psychological) components that also drive how you utilize the physical, i.e. the strategies and tactics that keep you within those other components. Then the components that come after the physical also govern what limits the physical have on the entire system.

In a nutshell it takes a good deal of training and practice to encompass the entire system that is martial arts. It is normally only a small component of the entire system that is introduced to most practitioners and this is a stunted incomplete system.

Hoshiki or systems are important in their entirety and leaving out any of the components for the sake of instant gratifications is in the end - stunted and dangerous.

Hoshokusha [捕食者]

The characters/ideograms mean "predator." The first character means, "catch; capture," the second character means, "eat; food," the third character means, "someone; person."

We are human beings and as such instinctively are members of the predator family. It is about our evolution through the most bloody times of life. It is about our survival instincts thousands of years old where the weak are eaten and the strong survive. It is about our mortality and how we go about making the most of extending our time.

We naturally lean toward fighting and an intricate part of that is defending against aggression of all kinds. It is not complicated and if we open ourselves to our instincts for survival we will discover the predator within.

Modern times has conditioned us to put aside our predator so it lurks just under that cover. Training and practice is more about uncovering the predator within so we can survive. Although survival is more about getting a paycheck and paying to feed, house and protect family we are still subject to the aggressions of other humans who would do us harm, even kill us.

This is about our natural place in our species, survival and allowing us to embrace our predator nature with a modicum of restraint. This is the true nature of martial arts.

Hyakudomairi [百度参り]

The characters/ideograms mean "hundred times worship (e.g. visiting a shrine or temple a hundred times for prayer, walking back and forth a hundred times before a shrine offering a prayer each time)." The first character means, "hundred," the second character means, "degrees; occurrence; time; counter for occurrences," the third character means, "nonplussed; three (in documents); going; coming; visiting; visit; be defeated; die; be madly in love; participate; take part in."

This is a cultural aspect of the Japanese that may shed light on things that may have influenced the martial arts as other aspects of Japanese culture and beliefs. It is walking backwards and forwards a hundred times between two points within the sacred precincts, repeating a prayer each time. The count is kept by depositing a length of twisted straw each time that goal is reached; at a temple place allotted for the ceremony that is between a tengu sama, a dog of heaven, and a large brown box inscribed with the characters hiyaku-do in high relief, which generally is seen full of straw tallies.

Hyo [票]

This character/ideogram means "label; sign; ticket; ballot." In this instance we use it to refer to the labels given to all sorts of things including things in martial arts. This is the reason for this particular word/character, to teach practitioners that labels once attached to something tend to be perceived by those labels. This is the reason I find the Asian characters/ideograms to be superior to English. They tend to convey many meanings and are fluid in nature providing a person various perceptive symbols to achieve greater knowledge and understanding.

This also promotes a more open-minded view of the world, the world of martial arts included. We all have perceptual filters that once labeled carry a specific meaning that could stagnate forward movement. One example is the label attached to the black belt, specifically the first one, that says "expert" and often because of this labeling some tend to stop training and practicing because "they know it now."

Lets leave the sign hung on this open to change. Today it may actually  mean one thing yet tomorrow things will change and the meaning might change as well. We can remove the dogmatic adherence to a single label to several or better yet - none, it is what it is at the moment.

Hyoteki koka [標的硬化]

The characters/ideograms mean "target hardening." The first character means, "target; signpost; seal; mark; stamp; imprint; symbol; emblem; trademark; evidence; souvenir," the second character means, "bull's eye; mark; target; object," the third character means, "hard; stiff," the fourth character means, "change; take the form of; influence; enchant; delude."

In a preventive manner to avoid the use of self-defense a person must make themselves a hard target, or hyoteki koka. Hard target is to make yourself such a hard target that the attacker or adversary will bypass you and look for easier pickings. It is a bit like physical security in that if your house has proper security installed such as alarms, lighting, video recording, dogs, etc. then the thief will naturally pick an easier target say the house next to yours that has no security what so ever - make your home, you, a hard target.

Take the appropriate measures to achieve hard target status then you will be less likely, not 100%, to be targeted and if you are your preventive oriented awareness will prepare you for other measures such as avoidance, etc.

Hyomen shiko fuka-sa shiko [表面思考深さ思考]

The characters/ideograms mean "surface training and depth training." From left to right the characters mean, "surface; table; chart; diagram," and "mask; face; features; surface," and "thought; consideration; thinking," and "think," and "consider; think over," and "deep; heighten; intensify; strengthen."

Hyomen means "surface; outside; face; appearance." Shiko means "thought; consideration; thinking." Fuka-sa means "depth; profundity (deep insight; great depth of knowledge or thought)."

Hyomen shiko fuka-sa shiko is surface training and depth training. This speaks toward the concept of the "omote/ura" in karate or martial arts training. It deals with what one is given as novice which is more of an entry level knowledge and experience. What is readily seen and felt that most often are called "basic techniques, kata and kumite, etc." It is the face we see in the martial arts. This is the surface training.

Surface training is what ends up killing the path for many who have not been introduced to the concept of omote/ura where ura is the training in the depth and breadth of what lies under the "surface training" one requires to set the foundation for the depth training.

The depth or core training is what transpires at the beginning level of black belt, the sho-dan now you are ready and prepared for the true marital arts that builds on the foundation built in surface training, i.e. basics and fundamentals to include fundamental principles of martial systems.

It is that with which one begins as opposed to that which is more "profound." - Kenji Tokitsu Sensei

Hyoimonji [表意文字]

The characters/ideograms mean "ideograph; ideographs; hieroglyph; hieroglyphs; calligraphy." The first character means, "surface; table; chart; diagram," the second character means, "idea; mind; heart; taste; thought; desire; care; liking," the third character means, "sentence; literature; style; art; decoration; figures; plan," the fourth character means, "character; letter; word; section of village."

I thought it would be appropriate that I define the word I have been using to describe the characters I use to help define the words or phrases I am trying to define in a martial arts sense. Hyoimonji or ideogram is a written character symbolizing the idea of a thing without indicating the sounds used to say it, e.g., numerals and Chinese characters.

It is my attempt to use this method as another means to convey a meaning that will come a bit closer to the possible, theory here, meaning born from the culture and beliefs of those ancients who created this system we practice and train in today.

The source of all this is Chinese and it is not definite as to its beginnings but there is plenty of information as to its growth over the thousands of years the Chinese have used and evolved this artist way of writing.

Another aspect of the hyoimonji is the essence of this type of communications is to convey thoughts through a system of rhythms, lines, and structure to more perfectly embody meaning through calligraphy. The differences of the number of strokes or the degree of complexities are also shown through certain laws of symmetry and balance (sounding familiar in martial arts practice?)

Chinese and Japanese express inner feelings and interests through this method of writing. It is the one method of communications that is also an art form the addresses an individuality of expression through individual creativity. The only caveat is that the initial training in Japan is strictly governed by a set of rules as to how a character is created along with things like which strokes are done in a particular order but it also addressed this issue of individuality, etc.

This form of art also speaks to its influences on martial arts in that it relates, i.e. a person who practices this form of calligraphy, ideograms, tempers their self by conforming to the defined structure of the words/characters, the expression that is created by the individual creativity, etc. This form or discipline tempers through daily practice to control concentration and focus by the application of ink and the compatibility of the ink for size and style of each word.

Through the medium of form, way of handling the brush, presentation, and style, calligraphy as a work of art conveys the moral integrity, character, emotions, esthetic feelings and culture of the artist to readers affecting them by the power of appeal and the joy of beauty.

Hyoshi [拍子]

The characters/ideograms mean "time (musical); tempo; beat; rhythm; the moment; the instance; chance." The first character means, "clap; beat (music)," the second character means, "child; sign of the rat; 11PM - 1AM; first sign of the Chinese zodiac."

This term in martial arts refers mostly to the rhythm and tempo of practice, training and application toward combatives. The author of the book listed below speaks toward thins such as all movement, both independent and in combination, has a rhythm, tempo and patterns that are physical and mental; in combat each moment comes and goes in waves of vibrations that are rhythms; combatives don't remain steady but rather are subjective to timing, flow and rhythms of the combatants; rhythms, tempo's and patterns are subject to breathing and mental states.

Hyoshi Tencho [拍子転調]

The characters/ideograms mean "rhythm modulation." The first character means, "clap; beat (music)," the second character means, "child; sign of the rat; 11PM - 1AM: first sign of the Chinese Zodiac," the third character means, "modulation; revolve; turn around; change," and the fourth character means, "tune; tone; meter; key (music); writing style; prepare; exorcise; investigate."

This particular term/characters/ideograms refer to the way of the budo in martial arts where an intricate part of combat is modulating the rhythm of the opponent as well as self. This is a part of martial strategies.

Rhythm, modulation, the beat by breathe, heart and mind. In your strategies your body-mind must determine your breathe, heart and mind then that of your opponent for that is where strategies are completed or fail.

In kata, the teacher of ancient ways, one must incorporate the proper rhythms appropriate to the technique, the time and the moment within the context of that moment.

Hyoteki [標的]

The characters/ideograms mean "target; targeting." The first character means, "target; evidence; emblem; symbol; mark; seal, etc.," the second character means, "bull's eye; mark; target; object."

This one is a bit iffy but in the spirit of this endeavor I use it to mean "target or targeting" in karate/martial arts training and practice. It is a teaching term to use for safety. We can't use targeting against those target points on the body that would cause or attempt to cause injury up to grievous injury or even death. We as sensei want to get close to reality in training but not at that cost.

Some targets to considered are legs/knees, groin, back, neck and throat, back and top of head, joints, etc. but this is not all inclusive. If in doubt then take time to learn and consider vital points of the body.

Consider the risk factors. Consider the practitioners on an individual basis. If not adult then consider the young adults parents. There are a variety of opinions on this subject so tread carefully because as sensei it is ultimately your responsibility either way.