Martial Secrets: Learning


Smith’s Rules of Design #2

Filed Under: Blog, Learning, Simplicity, Smith Rules of Design, Training by Kris Wilder — 4 Comments
March 30, 2010


As I noted last week, while in the doctor’s office I came across an article in the August 2008 issue of “Popular Mechanics” titled, “Smith’s Rules of Design.” Because the rules apply so well to the martial arts, I wanted to write about each of them separately.

This is number two in a series of four.

2. Study the Problem

The Scientific Method of studying a problem reads this way:

1. Define the question
2. Gather information and resources (observe)
3. Form hypothesis
4. Perform experiment and collect data
5. Analyze data
6. Interpret data and draw conclusions that serve as a starting point for new hypothesis

The Scientific Method has gotten the modern world very far and is the standard of research, good stuff, imperial evidence, and reductive thinking. If you use these six points in trying to discern your art, you will go very far.

However, the greatest martial artists we have seen have been, as the title implies, artists. They have, or have had, the ability to take a situation and intuit, or sense, the situation without much reasoning. They have, through hours of practice, studied the problem. And after some time they have blended the scientific with the art and solved the problem.

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A Prophet in Your Own Land

Filed Under: Blog, Broadcasting, Karate, Learning, Martial Arts, Radio, Sports, Sports radio by Kris Wilder — 7 Comments
September 28, 2009


There is an old saying that a person cannot be a prophet in his or her own land. Moreover, it is actually quite true, and speaks to a very pervasive attitude that most of us, I will assume, have succumbed to at one time or another.

A personal example that comes to mind concerns a guy on my local sports radio station named Softy. I often listen to sports radio – even though my teams are terrible I cannot help myself.

So, one day I was in the dojo cleaning up and listening to Softy on the radio. It occurred to me, “I remember Softy when he was an intern, doing all the odd jobs, bad slots and fill in work that this station needed, and today he has a prime morning spot.” At one point in the broadcast, I found myself disagreeing with what he had to say regarding one of the local sports teams. I said to myself, “I knew you when you were an intern, you don’t know what you are talking about!” Frankly, that was just wrong on my part. I was trying to force Softy back into a slot in time that he had long outgrown. Why? Because, if he was once just the intern, his position was not credible, you follow? I put him down, if only in my own head, to make him fit my line of thinking.

Often times, I think that we see martial artists in the same light. We say things like, “I remember training with him way back when he was 10 years old.” That is true, but he has gotten older, better and probably is still in his prime. While hopefully you have gotten older, and better, but you might just have edged past your own prime.

I guess what I am really getting at is that instead of living in the past, and judging people on what they were doing, or were capable of, when you first met them, it is really important to accept them for who they are today, whether it be in the role of a young college student, a first-time parent, or somebody who’s left the nest and started their own martial arts school.

By taking people at current value as well as in the context of how far they’ve come we get a far better picture of their worth. We may also find that this time around they may have something to teach us.

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Paying it Forward

Filed Under: Blog, Dojo, Karate, Learning, Martial Arts, Philosophy by Kris Wilder — 2 Comments
June 16, 2009


Last Friday I jumped on a plane in Seattle at midnight and by 8 a.m. was in Independence, Missouri. Meeting up with Eric Parsons, the head instructor of the Blue River Martial Arts Club, we found ourselves at the business end of a couple of months of preparation.

Earlier in the year I had said that I felt the need to help others and offered to do a fundraising seminar to raise money for a good cause.

So Eric saw an opportunity and decided to respond to my offer. The college where he teaches math, Metropolitan Community College (MCC) has a “Single Parent Book Loan Program” designed to help single parents defer the cost of expensive books needed for their courses. This is truly a case of teaching somebody to fish rather than just giving them fish; or, more simply, helping people who are helping themselves. In a world rife with reasons not to do something, MCC saw the value to their students and cleared the way.

A few months earlier I had talked to my publisher YMAA about my idea and before I could finish the pitch of what I had in mind, David Ripianzi, YMAA’s owner, was saying, “Great, great, how do we get involved?” YMAA brought their publicist into the mix, the really fun and delightful Barbara, and sent several DVDs to be given out as door prizes. The event was also promoted on their website and through emails, and Barbara contacted local newspapers as well.

Saturday was a day of fun karate and fun people, and all directed towards helping others. I felt pretty good and blessed being associated with all these folks.

This was an easy thing to do for everyone. We all know someone that is in need, or a small, local organization that could use a little help and all it takes is a few friends sharing their talents and time to do something of real value. I invite you to think of you how you might share your own talents or time in a similar way.

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To Be a Black Belt

Filed Under: Blog, Dojo, Education., Karate, Learning, Martial Arts by Kris Wilder — 8 Comments
March 23, 2009


Years ago I was in Florida doing some martial arts training and on the wall of the school in huge, I mean three feet high, huge words yelling; “My Goal is to be a Black Belt.” I internally mocked that statement. “Geez,” I thought, “You would think that they would be pushing something else, something that has real value.” You know, skills, morals, values, wisdom, that kind of thing. The big letters really hit me in the wrong way. It smacked faux dedication, affection, a marketing ploy, and I was having none of it. Now many years later I really think there is a deep value to having such a declarative statement painted on the wall. Focus, affirmation, and a shared commitment. I don’t have anything that huge on the wall of my dojo, but I do have something similar, smaller and in kanji – perfection. This suits my school better than the big words painted on the wall however the idea is still the same and best said by the following quote.

“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.”
– Japanese Proverb

Looking back, I can see the wisdom of those big words, and feel a little foolish in my quick dismissal some twenty years ago.

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