We've all heard the term "Practice makes perfect", but few actually follow this great advice.

   Over the years, I’ve watched many work hard and reach exceptional skill, but I’ve also watched as some became unmotivated over time, never reaching their full potential.

   What was the biggest difference between the two groups? How often they practiced in and out of the dojo.

   There is a direct correlation in ability and how much you practice. If the only time you practice your techniques and stretching is at class, it’ll reflect in your inability to perform the techniques well and not be as flexible as you need to perform certain techniques.

   If you want to reach your full potential, you must think of your Martial Art training as a collage course. You don’t learn something in class and then never study until the test arrives. You continually look over your notes so that you’re ready when the test comes.  Studying Martial Arts is the same way. You don’t want to learn a technique and then never practice until your test arrives. At that point it’s too late and will reflect during the actual test.

   And remember that your overall goal with Martial Arts is to make it a part of who you, not something you do.

  We are all different, yet all the same. We all have certain characteristics that allow us to coexist peacefully, or be in a constant state of war. To live a life of peace, you must find balance with all the four elements.

   All of us consist of all four elements, yet most live out most their lives in one element. The problem with this is, is that unless you learn to balance all four elements within yourself, you will always feel off balance and edgy, never at peace.

   Step one is to figure out which element is dominate in your life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fire: Competiveness, Agression  (opposite is Water)

Air: Carefree, Open (opposite is Earth)

Water: Calm, Fluid (opposite is Fire)

Earth: Stubborn, Determined (opposite is Air)

 

Many of us have a dominate element, with a strong secondary element. I can walk down the line of my students and tell them what elements are dominate within them.

The key to finding balance is to learn to tap into your opposing elements and not focus so much on the element that comes naturally.

If you are a competitive person, look for ways to calm yourself. If you are stubborn, look for ways to think differently, like listening to other opinions. If you are a calm person, learn to tap into your aggression, so that you can dominate when necessary, and if you’re carefree, find ways to ground yourself in ideals that will help ground you.

In Black Belt training we look more closely into the four elements, but the sooner you start to balance the elements within yourself, the sooner you will find peace and live a life with less struggle.

   As a Sensei, I’m always watching students to see who will carry on the traditions of our style with honor and passion.

   I watch to see who is committed to their training, honors their commitments, and even how students say the pledge before every class.

   How you say the pledge demonstrates not only how well you know it, but how well you understand it and believe in it.

   The pledge you say at the beginning of each class is a statement of why you are training.

   You humble yourself by acknowledging that you are a willing pupil, ready to learn the skills the Sensei have to teach.

   Your goal of growing strong in Mind, Body, and Spirit, understanding that Kokoro Jujitsu is much more than just a series of techniques, but training in Honor, Courage, and Respect.

   Understanding that when you earn the title of Kokoro Samurai, you will be the kind of warrior who gives strength to those who are weak, show love to those who hate, and compassion to those who suffer.

   The pledge is much more than just a few poetic sentences. They show your commitment to earning the title of Kokoro Samurai, which I am always evaluating who will be the ones who will proudly teach our traditions to future generations.d peace and live a life with less struggle.

   Kokoro is a Japanese character which represents mind, heart, and spirit. In the Japanese culture, there is no distinction between the three.

   When developing my style of Jujitsu based on Danzan-ryu Jujitsu, which I earned my Black Belt in, I was looking for a word or term that would best describe what I wanted my style to be about.

   At a seminar, the instructor who was teaching inscribed my copy of his book with the word Kokoro and explained to me what it meant. I filed it away in the back of my mind as I still had my own school to run and operate.

   The more research I did on the word "Kokoro", the more I began to feel a connection with the word. And as I developed my style, the more that word became prominent.

   I found that Kokoro and what I was teaching were one and the same.

   In our style, as a Samurai, we train primarily on strengthening the mind, heart, and spirit to make us a superior class of fighters.

   In Kokoro Jujitsu, we train our bodies to be strong, flexible, and able to have the endurance necessary to protect the innocent and our loved ones.

 

 

   A true Samurai knows how important it is to train the Mind. You never know when you’re going to find yourself in a situation where you may not be able to get out of using physical force and strength. There may be situations where you may need to mentally formulate a plan to save yourself and/or others.

   The ability to think outside the box is one of a Kokoro Samurai's greatest tools in defeating an opponent.

   When it comes to the Heart, we mean the balance between the art of war and the art of peace.

   Many new martial art styles that have emerged train the body well enough, but fail to teach compassion and a strong sense of right and wrong. Some of the many problems that may arise are that you leave the potential open for some very dangerous, highly trained individuals who haven't learned how not to punch as well as they were taught how to punch.

   A good, compassionate heart is necessary to balance the violence one learns while studying martial arts. It teaches a person how not to harm someone just as equally as it teaches a person how to harm someone if it becomes necessary.