For quite some time now, as part of personal training in both kobudo and karate, I try to record myself on video several times a year. Not because I want to see my sexy glutes, but the need to self-assess and analyse exists. While every microsecond of the playback makes me cringe, the need to overcome this and understand the benefits far outweighs it.
I remember the first time doing every single kata in front of the lens. Man was I proud of myself watching the videos back, so proud I’d make my family watch them over and over. Well, it's Friday night, the lights are out, the family are fast asleep, what else to do but to watch videos of.......... yourself doing kata of course. So a minute ago, I pulled out this early footage and had a quick watch. My face turning redder than an Irishman stuck in the desert. Couldn’t even watch one video in its entirety it was that dreadful. Continuing my video viewing, I skipped a few years and watched some from only 2 years back.... God damn, as cringeworthy as that guy who asked me to cross grade him.
But imagine truly believing you have the perfect kata, perfect fighting skills, perfect technique....where would you go from this point and how would it be possible to progress?
Often I stumble across videos, hear stories, or am notified of old karate mates and acquaintances doing the same ole thing stuck in that karate rut, all happy and dandy patting themselves on the back while wearing their smick gi, and posing with some master. I can’t help but feel sorry for them. Most of them are good people whom I would happily sit down and have a beer or 10 with, but how people can stay in that self-assured / self-congratulatory state (is that even a word??) is above my head.
Picture a life where everything was perfect, where the need to work did not exist, where the weather was sunny and skies blue every day. People would never have the chance to grow. Change as daunting as it is for many, I feel is required in all aspects of life. In the workplace if there is no change, how can you expect to improve in different facets of your job and develop? Just like budo, if one is never to change or unwilling to, how is it possible to improve and acquire further knowledge & understanding?
In my local area around 10 years ago, floods struck, and half the suburb was covered in water higher than the local crackheads. But without this destruction, new technology to combat such disaster would probably have never been considered or built…. (crap, think I’m going off track a bit …) You get the drift, due to such catastrophe, experts are now more knowledgeable and will be able to cope in a similar predicament. Not saying that we must always endure bad things in our lives, but the danger of not ever being faced with challenges and living in the perfect world would result in over-complacency.
You can see my regular pub in the above video..
Every time we train in Okinawa, obviously we always put in 108%, yet at the same time, I much prefer our sensei and sempai ripping us apart and telling us we're shithouse (maybe not that direct), but by doing so, will result in something I can work on. Who wants to be told they are good?...not me haha..
It’s getting late, hope it all makes sense 😊
