Sakura Martial Arts Academy Newsletter
April 2006

By now, March Break is just a memory. Training has resumed and we have a new home-same building-just one floor up! In fact, this is where the club began to grow. So, for some, it will seem just like a different room in the same house. Please note that there is a schedule change as well:

* Tuesdays  -  no scheduled classes *
Thursdays  -  Open training 6:30-7:30 pm
 -  Advanced class (blue belt and up) 7:30-9:00 pm
All other classes on Mondays and Wednesdays remain the same.

One of our themes for training last month was breathing. There are colds and flu bugs around right now. If you are sick please don’t train. Give yourself time to recover and refrain from passing on germs to your friends and training partners. Consider the following information taken from Deepak Chopra’s book, "Perfect Health".

"Breathing is a highly creative act. We inhale random chaotic molecules from the air into our bodies, where in a matter of seconds each oxygen molecule is sent throughout the body transforming oxygen starved blood blood into oxygen rich hemoglobin. Within 60 seconds the same oxygen atom will make a complete circuit of your body (15 seconds if you are exercising vigorously)..…With every single breath you expose 5 trillion red corpuscles to the air. Each corpuscle contain 280 million molecules of hemoglobin. Each molecule of hemoglobin can pick up and transport 8 atoms of oxygen. If you think of each atom as a building block, then with a single breath you are adding 11x 10(to the 21st) or 11,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 new ‘ bricks’ that will be delivered to various sites around your body."

He is speaking about oxygen - the good stuff! Germs often enter the same way. You take on a great responsibility to keep your body fit and healthy. Breathe responsibly!!!


APRIL HAPPY BIRTHDAYS *Sorry we missed you - a belated Happy Birthday to Lindsay Smith – March 24
April 8  -  Frank Lawlor
April 9  -  Scott Rathwell
April 20  -  Tyler Valiquette
April 25/1888  -  Miyagi Chojun Sensei
April 29  -  Foster Knapton
April 30  -  Brooks Knapton

DATES TO REMEMBER
Tuesday, April 4 -  Adult Class -  Business Meeting 7:30pm
Saturday, April 29 -  Maplefest -  Bake sale Fundraiser
Information Booth
Free Demo Classes

Friday, May 26th
& Saturday May27th
 -  EMAC Gasshaku Black Belt Grading and Seminars (all)

KIME
This month’s theme is - Focus or KIME. How focused are you really? Do you watch the clock? Are you sneaking a peak over your shoulder watching someone else or to see if someone else is watching you? Are you listening to your instructor or busy talking to your neighbour? What about your homework, golf game or other responsibilities - are these things occupying your attention instead of your training? Our goal, when we pass through the doors of the dojo, is to let all of that go for a period of time. As we bow in, we are telling our bodies and minds that we are in a karate training environment now. In SEIZA, we are making an even more conscious step to create that focused mind-set before we begin to warm-up. KIME - or mental focus is a vital training component that will ensure more precise and safely executed techniques, a greater learning curve and an increased ability to compartmentalize our daily activities. Improved focus in the dojo will mean better focus outside the dojo.

There is a Chinese saying - "The whole body is in the fist." I would like to take that a few steps further and suggest that, "The whole body is in the mind!" You must use KIME to root your stances to the ground, gather the energy up through your body to your hips and out the end of your fist upon impact of your target. Before all that though - kime must be utilized in listening to your instructors and practicing with your partners with the humility of a white belt and the tenaciousness of a black belt. It is all in the state of the mind. Please give the following poem some thought.

IT’S ALL IN THE STATE OF THE MIND

If you think you are beaten - you are;
If you think you dare not - you don’t;
If you think you’d like to win - but can’t,
It’s almost a ‘cinch’ you won’t.
If you think -
You will find:
Success begins with a fellow’s will
It’s all in the state of the mind.

For many a race is lost,
Before even a race is run.
And many a coward fails,
Before ever his work has begun.
Think big and your deeds will grow,
Think small and you will fall behind.
Think that you can and you will.
It’s all in the state of the mind.

If you think you are outclassed - you are;
You’ve got to think hard to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battle doesn’t always go
To the stronger or the faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the fellow who thinks he can.

The author of the poem is unknown - but thank you Donald McLean for submitting it to us. Remember - if you have a poem or a quote that you would like to share please submit it for consideration.

Please check our new website too: sakuramartialarts.tripod.com. Thanks Donald for all you hard work in helping getting the site up and running. Thanks too to Donald and Don DeCarle who came in on Saturday with Laurie and Sensei James to help with the move upstairs. Looks great!

Book Review by Sempai Lindsay Book Review-"The Book of Five Rings" by Miyamoto Musashi

"The Book of Five Rings" by Miyamoto Musashi, is an outstanding novel that helps us to gain a better understanding of how we should train as true martial artists; and thoroughly explains the art of war. Miyamoto Musashi’s Novel is divided into five books; the book of Earth, the book of Water, the book of Fire, the book of Wind and finally the book of Emptiness. "The Book of Five Rings," is a very important book to read throughout your training, although you many need to read it more than once in order to understand all of the useful information. The essence of the book is that there is in fact a strategy for winning, which can be planned and considered.

Firstly, the book of Earth outlines the art of war, while the book of Water teaches us that we must know everything that we can about our style of martial arts in order to conquer our opponent. The book of Fire expresses the importance of attacking from the right position against the right targets. The book of Wind shows us that you can't understand your own style without knowing other styles. The fifth and final book, the book of Emptiness, deals more with the concepts of the mind rather than technical aspects. This book also discusses Miyamoto Musashi’s own style and strategy. The more we know about how we should train and how we should apply our training, we can begin to improve ourselves as people while at the same time, trying to perfect our techniques.


SENSEI SAYS For this first installment I thought would pass on Miyagi Sensei’s last teaching. This is a lesson that we should consider long and often.

"Do not be struck by others. Do not strike others. The principle is peace without incident."
Miyagi Chojun (1888-1953)

Remember - if you have a question for Sensei to answer in this column, please submit your request in writing before the end of each month.