Final UBBT

The honour of being part of the last official UBBT team is dubious at best. While the legacy of the Ultimate Black Belt Test will live on through the UBBT alumni and their students, it was under our watch that the plug was pulled.

Mastery is a process, a long process. It’s about turning the wheel a couple of degrees and making sustainable changes that, over time, lead to permanent transformation. Hindsight is always 20/20 and from my perspective it is clear where we failed to give the UBBT the relevance it deserved. 

Journalling. I believe it is as simple as that. If our journalling is not consistent, public, and most importantly defining our journey, then our journey brings no relevance back to the UBBT. “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

Under our watch a lot of trees were chopped down but I am thinking many were not heard. There should be a story behind all that clear cutting and I wish I would have contributed to a clearer story being told. The Ultimate Black Belt Test is the single most powerful transformation tool I have come across. The UBBT process is reclaiming what it means to be a martial artist and it is defining the relevance of our craft.

The UBBT will continue to resonate in my school through my student team enrolled in our I Ho Chuan program. Our current Year of the Dragon team just turned a major corner in their journey and our Year of the Snake team is already tooling up and preparing for their February start. There may not be a UBBT 10 in the immediate future, but the ripples continue on.

“The Ultimate Black Belt Test is a hero's journey—exodus, epiphany, and return—and passing it requires a physical, mental, and spiritual transformation that will make people stand up and take notice.” - Tom Callos

Rotary Run For Life

Sixty percent of Canadians will be affected by mental illness at some point in their lives, yet mental illness continues to have a stigma associated with it. The shame and embarrassment cause many people to go untreated. I hope that someday mental illness will be seen as no different than a broken leg so those afflicted no longer need to suffer silently and alone.

Today we performed a Dragon/Lion dance for the Stony Plain Rotary Run For Life to support the Coordinated Suicide Prevention Program. It’s not everyday that you can begin by doing something you love while supporting an initiative you are passionate about. A great day with great friends and great times.

“Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all.” - Bill Clinton (b. 1946)

Joe Lewis (1944 - 2012)

Joe Lewis passed away yesterday morning. As I look back at his career and the impact he has had on the martial arts, I feel an intense sense of loss.

I can’t think of anyone who was more intimidating with his presence than Joe Lewis. The man was huge and moved like a cat. He is considered the greatest karate fighter of all time and from what I have seen, it is a title he definitely deserved.

Joe Lewis was a great teacher. I never had the opportunity to train with the man but I have watched him teach his tactics and was reminded of the late Grand Master Edmund Parker in how he could break down a technique into its raw components.

Grand Master Lewis lost his thirteen month battle with brain cancer but his determination to teach throughout his chemotherapy and radiation treatments was  an inspirational attestation of how fierce a fighter he was. Simultaneously it serves as an important reminder that none of us get out alive.

“Every man dies - Not every man really lives.” - William Ross Wallace (1819 - 1881)

The Living Kwoon 2012

Once again we're at that time of year when we take advantage of our extra downtime to reconnect with our kwoon. While our students take the next week to get their kids or themselves ready to return to school, we use this time to perform renovations to our training hall. I had a conversation with one of my students about this annual project and was reminded at how difficult it can be for some to recognize the opportunity a project like this represents.

Robert Pirsig points out that a "Church" or "University" is not defined by the physical walls of the actual structure. Each is more about the spirit of the community that worships or is taught in the structure. A building's function and purpose will always be dictated by the community that uses it. Case in point - Thich Nhat Hanh's Institute of Applied Buddhism in Waldbrol, Germany is located in a building that used to be a Nazi resort hotel. A building is just a building but what takes place within its walls is so much more.

The kwoon is a living entity that is not confined by the walls of the physical space where it resides. The kwoon is defined by the community of students who are engaged and involved with the kwoon. This may seem common sense to some but it most definitely is not common sense to everyone.

No matter what, many students will approach the kwoon as nothing more than a gymnasium. They show up, leave their sweat and mud behind for someone else to clean up, and are off to get back to their separate lives. That's what their membership is to them - a place to work out and have someone clean up after them. They want to be part of something bigger but they go about it the wrong way despite the answer being right in front of them.

Renovation week is not about fixing up a "gymnasium" so that it is clean and attractive for a bunch of users. Renovation week is a spiritual journey, or awakening if you will, that reconnects us with our kwoon - our kung fu community. Some of my students struggle with a feeling of isolation when their work keeps them from training at the kwoon, yet there are people who feel just as disengaged even though they are at the kwoon three times a week training.

Reconnecting with your kwoon, spending time getting to know your classmates, and taking ownership of the school where you spend so much of your time could turn out to be a pivotal turning point in a person's kung fu career. The difference between success and failure often comes down to a person's level of engagement.

I recognize that 90% of my students who take advantage of renovation week will probably miss the the entire point of the event and only see it as a responsibility. But if this year's event rejuvenates, re-engages, reconnects, inspires, or grounds 10% of my students, I will consider it a success. Thirty engaged, cognizant human beings can shake the pillars of the world.

"I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased to be one." - Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

 

Posted with Blogsy

Monkey Thoughts

It seems a common theme that kept popping up this week during my student meetings was accepting responsibility. It is unfortunate that so many people equate taking responsibility with only accepting blame. Taking responsibility for a situation empowers you to change the situation. Taking responsibility is the difference between being a victim and being in control.

Self talk, that inner conversation we all have with ourselves, is one thing we all have complete control of. The words we choose to use during those conversations go a long way in colouring our perceptions. "He hit me" and "I got hit" both may accurately convey what just happened in a sparring match, but saying it from the first person perspective definitely gives you more of a sense of responsibility and control. It promotes analysis of what could have been done to prevent the outcome where the other statement gives all the control to the person who hit you.

I try to stress the importance of choosing words carefully, most importantly those words used in silent inner diaglogue. Words affect perception, perception affects thoughts. Control the words and you control the thoughts.

""Careful with fire" is good advice, we know:

"Careful with words" is ten times doubly so.

Thoughts unexpressed may sometimes fall back dead;

But God himself can't kill them when they're said." - Will Carleton (1845-1912)

 

Posted with Blogsy

Moving On

The fact that this year will be the final year of the official Ultimate Black Belt Test has left me with many conflicting emotions. I hadn't expected to be part of the team this year when originally only people wishing promotion were to be included. I had myself psyched up to face 2012 without being part of a team that has been a big part of me for the past five years. I am grateful to Master Callos for waiving the promotion requirement and allowing me to participate for one more year. It has been a great ride and a life changing experience.

I understand why the project is being discontinued in its current form and I agree with the decision. A project is only viable if the partiipation level is high. I know it has been impossible for me to juggle all my personal responsibilities and make significant contributions to both The One Hundred and the UBBT so the closing of one of these initiatives will hopefully strengthen the other. Ironically it was the demise of The 100. (the original iteration of The One Hundred) that had me finally commit to the Ultimate Black Belt Test in the first place.

I am disappointed that as a group we couldn't get it together enough to make the Ultimate Black Belt Test the project it aspired to be. In an industry that has so woefully lost its way, the UBBT and The One Hundred are beacons of light guiding the martial arts back to the noble path. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of this industry revolution and I hope I am able to contribute something to Master Callos' extraordinary vision.

“Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is simply passing the time. Action with Vision is making a positive difference.” - Joel Barker

 

Posted with Blogsy

Ahhhhhh

An injury has given me the opportunity to narrow my focus on my meditation. Meditation has always been a huge part of my everyday life but it is reinvigorating to completely immerse myself into the practice every so often. The world slows down, problems disappear, and priorities realign. Once again I am reminded that I am exactly where I need to be.

“What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment. And this is the moment you can choose to make everything new. Right now.” - Author Unknown