"Old Men Say"

(Welcome to my first Sport Karate Museum Newsletter 2025 column entitled “The Old Men Say.” Now, in 2025, I am celebrating the beginning of my 69th year in martial arts so perhaps that qualifies me to speak as an “Old Man” and hopefully I also have something of value to Say. During my years of practicing the Way, I have inherited numerous stories from my sensei, many of which were handed down through the traditional Legacy I have served, other's I acquired through years of historical research. There is a beautiful method of personal transmission in the old schools that helps to illustrate and explain many of the somewhat esoteric dynamics we use to merge our body, mind, and spirit into one being, thought, and action. At times the stories also help to illuminate the times, culture, and prominent individuals beyond the typical data transmissions of the martial arts training we have received. Another valuable aspect of these stories helps us to integrate our martial arts teachings into our daily lives.)

My first installment (Winter edition) in The Old Men series is “The Art resides between Sei and Ki.” The term SEI can mean, in a broad sense, spirit. In this case, it can describe a person's mental and emotional state, or motivation. In other words, the inception or perhaps the integrated mind, body, and spirit initiation of movement. In turn, Ki, as a martial arts term, is expressed as the intrinsic energy of the cosmos, the universal truth. An action taken in a particular state of mind and body can have a physical/psychological/physiological effect on the outcome.

The ART that is karate and its expression manifests between the recognition of the need for action and the answer to that need culminating in its conclusion. Therefore, it is less about what you do than how you do it. My Karate-Do sensei would remind me, “I should respond rather than merely react!” It is in the content and execution of the response that the art manifests.

All too often we focus on the data points of our practice. The dynamics of movement, unification of self, and seeking a Munen mindset (no thought or preconception) are often left to esoteric practices or just unfortunately deemed impractical. Instead, it becomes about getting to the block, punch, or kick and we depend on our basic practice to get us there. Practice is important but mindfulness of the doing is also beneficial. The growth of our practice is within ourselves as practitioners through maturity, self-exploration, and awareness. It's not just about being better fighters but better human beings, and citizens.

The space between the movements acts much the same way as the spaces between the notes in music. Those pauses, rests, meter, and rhythm connecting the notes give us the character of sounds as does the volume. Seek to understand and experience what is expressed between SEI and Ki, whether it’s sparring, kata, or just an engaged verbal conversation. Remember, the silences are as valuable as the sounds.

(First printed in the SKM quarterly newsletter Winter 2025 edition)

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Ukinju-Ryu Budo Acromyns-

The acronym D.A.S.H. stands for:

a.       D – Distance (Near and far)

b.      A – Angle (Directional variant)

c.       S  - Speed (Fast and slow)

d.      H - Height  (High and low)

The old men say, “The essence or manifestation of training in a martial way is the investigation of the Near and Far, the High and Low, and the Fast and Slow of the universe.”

An advanced level of unification of the Body, Mind, and Spirit - 

2025 Spring SKM Newsletter Part One:  Fast and Slow

In my dojo, we say relationships are often expressed in the Old Man Saying, “The Art Manifests in the Fast and Slow, Near and Far, High and Low.” A recurring dynamic in martial arts has long been the relation of dualities witnessed in Yin and Yang, light and dark, hard and soft, etc. I will elaborate on the Fast and Slow portion in this first of three pairings from this subject title. 

There is power in words. For instance, it is said in the warrior community that “slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.” Therefore, this suggests that focusing on accuracy and smoothness in the execution of a task rather than on speed alone ultimately leads to faster and more successful results. I pursued speed for many of my early years until I witnessed an Okinawan Grandmaster of advanced age demonstrate what appeared to be deceptive speed in a one-step encounter with a younger expert while evading a full-speed attack and effectively countering the younger man with ease. I discovered in watching this encounter a second time that it was less the physical speed of the step off the line but the timing of the movement. I noted that the Grandmaster's movement lacked any cocking motion, armoring up, or preparatory movement thereby alerting the attacker to the master's intent. Having no red flags, the youthful opponent fully committed himself to his attack ignorant of the consequences that awaited him. The movement was like a tree branch merely moved by the invisible wind of intent. Speed in one’s movement is an important goal but the calm spirit of no thought (Munen) or discernable intent in the moment is the mature goal of the master’s in advanced practice. Penetrating our adversary's defensive guard requires armoring up our attacking weapons and, in turn, can slow them or make them more perceivable. This is especially true when fighting in a linear engagement. 45-degree angle line of engagement and broken rhythm strategies help to alleviate this issue. Speed is not just of the body but also of the mind, and spirit. A mind of the moment, free from holding hopeful strategies and waiting for a perfect moment, is free to respond to the flow of combat faster and more appropriately to the evolving needs of the contest.

Slow is smooth, a well-oiled machine, free to focus on accurately assessing the situation and smoothly adjusting to the flow of the action. Strategies that hamper the advantage of speed such as Broken Rhythm, can also refer to speed, but timing strategies like broken rhythm come to mind. In addition, blending and baiting an opponent to confuse or deceive one’s adversary can interdict his thinking process and slow his reaction time. Grandmaster Kyan Chotoku, when speaking about the three Sens, 1) Sen Sen no Sen- Preemptive Attack, 2) Sen no Sen- Simultaneous Attack(During), and 3) Go no Sen- Counter Attack(After) that ”Three ways to support the practical application of Sei and Ki (see article 1 in this series). Which of these combative initiatives best resolves any confrontation depends entirely upon the individual and the circumstances.”

I hope this first of three articles on this subject gives you food for thought. Join me for article two in the series investigating “Near and Far” in the summer edition.

Enjoy your spring!  Pax, Tom Spellman (first printed in the SKM quarterly newsletter Spring 2025)

2025 Summer SKM Newsletter- Old Men Say article

“The Art Manifests in the Fast and Slow, Near and Far, and the High and Low.”  Part Two: Near and Far

Welcome to the second in my series of Old Men Say teachings. This article will present the second pair of concepts, Near and Far. In article one of this series, we investigated the perceptions of speed, the role the mind plays, and some strategies for speed and execution. 

Simplistically, on the one hand, I first think of NEAR as the entry point of the fundamentals, i.e., basics, drills on the physical plane, but here it would be the work done and application of will to the training. Conversely, FAR is the measurable distance and depth one penetrates the learning process, through sacrifice, perseverance, pain, and effort. 

NEAR deals with the interaction and control of the defensible space surrounding you. The old school Japanese term Uke (uki) is mistakenly translated as the block that forcibly interdicts or obstructs the attack. However, the word is derived from the Japanese word ukeru, meaning to accept or receive. This implies that instead of negating the attack, the attack is accepted or received by controlling, redirecting, and /or absorbing the attacker’s energy. Tai-Sabaki or body shifting, combined with defensive hand techniques including parrying methods, is used to accomplish this. Angling, circling, and the three SENS (see Fast and Slow article) can also expand choices of defensive and interceptive strategies. 

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On the other hand, FAR infers distance, which can be perceived in various ways. For instance, if you were to travel to Granny’s house, you might measure the trip in terms of miles driven and the cost of gas based on your vehicle's average miles per gallon. Or instead, your concern may be the time it takes to drive there at 70 miles an hour.

In combat, your opponent and your relative skills, including speed, endurance, strategies, and execution, are related factors.  I use a perception of the term Manifest Destiny to approach distance and structure concepts. The term was used towards U.S. Western expansion by believing God blessed the intrepid growth of the nation by moving west to God’s Promised Land and securing their future. For me, it also caused many to go into the unknown, only to go beyond their means, exhausting themselves and their supplies to their ruin.

In our early history of sport martial arts, we have gone from solid techniques, traditionally tested postures, and movement transitions, only to practice over-reaching lunges for sport tags and points at the expense of power and effective practice outcomes. “How Far Is Far?” is a question concerning a person's set point and the actual maximum effective traveling distance to the desired target. Strategies are at play here. Instead of throwing oneself haphazardly at a person, one should have a practiced sense of one’s effective distance management and gain their ideal set point accordingly. In tournament play, FAR can also be measured in how you use the ring to your advantage, the time allotted in the match, and how effectively you stalk your prey for proximity.  Your reach is a factor, as is height, and, of course, timing itself. 

I hope this second of three articles on Near and Far gives you some ideas to consider. Join me for article three in the series investigating “High and Low” in the Fall edition.

Enjoy your summer! 

Pax, Tom Spellman

“The Art Manifests in the Fast and Slow, Near and Far, and the High and Low.”  

2025  SKM Newsletter Fall- Part Three: High and Low

Welcome to the third in my series of Old Men Say teachings. 

This article will present the third pair of Concepts, HIGH and LOW. It should be apparent by now that one major theme of the martial arts experience is that of relationship. Our journey continues in this third and final article of this triune Old Men Say offering.

On a mundane level, High and Low relationships can relate to the cultural/social world of hierarchy within the family unit. Examples include grandparent/parent/descendant, or perhaps employer/employee. Each of these individuals inherently has norms, duties, responsibilities, and dynamics connected to their identities. In olden Okinawa, birthplace of Karate, Confucian teachings structured their society. In Confucianism, the relationship between father and son (父子, fù zǐ) is considered the most important among the Five Relationships. This relationship, filial piety (孝, xiào), is regarded as the foundation of all virtues and the root. Confucius believed that filial piety is the root of good character and moral development of respect, loyalty, and responsibility. The father-son relationship serves as the primary context for learning moral values, as fathers are expected to provide guidance, support, and moral education to their children. In turn, sons are expected to respect, obey, and care for their parents. Since karate was originally a possession of the aristocratic class and was handed down from father to son, this Confucian concept and its virtues formed the disciple, the son, beyond the mere discipline and fitness benefits the instruction provided in modern-day practice.

In the practical realm, High might refer to the angle of focus/force application. Rising motions, such as rising blocks and parries, could be used to divert aggressive energy upward and thereby break the opponent's balance, making him vulnerable to being thrown. This can be true for rollback motions involving upward warding structure, and also a clothesline technique could accomplish the same effect.

As to the Low, it could apply to capturing the opponent's thrusts, and by hyperextending the action, again break their balance and guide them to the ground. The concept of Marriage of Gravity is taught within my martial tradition, stating within its tenets that a practitioner must understand the basic teachings of the Law of Physics as fundamental rules that describe how everything in the universe behaves. These laws help us understand and predict the outcomes of natural and experimental phenomena. In becoming familiar with them, one can ally oneself with gravity and together influence the opponent's structure and balance to one's advantage with all the advantages and less effort.

The subject of relationships in the martial arts is a constant, evolving process as the practitioner progresses in his or her journey. The roles one plays in each stage of personal growth serve to expand the value to the practitioner and to the art itself for future generations. The Old Men Say writings encourage us to constantly check in with ourselves as we grow and reevaluate our understanding of the art we love. Enjoy the harvest of your life. Until the next issue, Go Forth! 

Why Daily Okinawan Kata Practice Is Essential to My Life

SKM Quarterly Article – Winter 2026 edition- 

“The Old Men Say” tradition

By Tom Spellman

Mizu No Kokoro- “To Have a Body, Mind, or Spirit Like Water”

In the 58 years of my precious association and tutelage under my Karate-Do master, Thomas M. White (10th Dan), one of our repetitive themes was the element of water. On the top shelf of my kamiza (spirit seat altar space) in my dojo is a painting of the Japanese phrase, Mizu no Kokoro, drawn by White Sensei. Mizu, (water) or sometimes pronounced Sui when denoting its useas one of the four classical natural elements, the others being fire, earth, and air. Water is a unique element in that it can be Fluid (Liquid), Solid (Ice), or Gaseous (Steam) and is highly conductive of energy. From ancient times to the present, the Fluid and Gaseous forms have been used to generate energy through waterwheel grist mills along streams and, in modern times, hydroelectric plants along the world's waterways. Steam, in the past, has been harnessed to produce energy in steam locomotives and today in geothermal processes. The human body is approximately 60% water and therefore a very conductive element for energy. When our body is not properly hydrated, like a car battery that is low on water and the energy cells are exposed, they die. So too is our health endangered. 

Now, let’s explore the somewhat mysterious Japanese word Kokoro. In English, Kokoro is often translated as body, mind, or spirit, depending on the word's association with other words combined with it. Examples could include a mind that is fluid in thought, a body that flows like an endless stream, or a free-spirited progression of movement to movement. Or perhaps an untethered spirit, rising and expanding to its higher potential. Kokoro can imply one’s intellectual responses, or, in other situations, one’s emotional reactions, and in many cases, it denotes the mental, emotional, and spiritual states of all sentient beings.

One of the martial arts axioms has long been that the body, mind, and spirit are one. The term Kokoro embodies this transformative aspect and the element of water in its nature of relationship. One of water’s noticeable characteristics when poured into a containment field is that it seeks to escape its space by testing the field's cracks to escape through, or filling the receptacle to overflowing, thus becoming free. The varying environmental effects on the water, of heat transforming it into steam, or cold temperatures, into ice, may change the water’s form, but ultimately do not change its essence. Consequently, whatever portion of the triune manifestations of water one focuses on, the subject remains true to itself, as do we.

Nature has so much to offer, especially in threes, in our warriors' quest for mastery. Whether we speak of body, mind, and spirit, periods of training evolution- White to 1stBlack =The Body, 2nd Black to 5th Black = The Mind, and 6thBlack to 10th Black = The Spirit, or the Kokoro transformative phases, is worthy of great contemplation and study. So immerse yourself in the flow and quench your thirst for knowledge!