Every night when I let my dog out I am attacked by a swarm of moths, mosquitoes and other creepy winged pest that are drawn to the light at night. For this reason I dread opening my back door at night. Yet I still keep the light on. To me the security that the light brings by piercing through the darkness of my huge backyard is more important than turning it off, because of a few pesky bugs. Even the security of sitting in my living room and being able to look out my window and see that there is no one in my yard, is enough to never turn off that light. However, there are many people who would just turn off the light until they need it. Some would even stop using the light altogether succumbing to the overwhelming intrusion of pest.

This reminds me of a deeper issue. At my school our goal is to inspire, teach and help others become warrior protectors. We are constantly integrating lessons of how to grow strong and use that strength as a way to help others. However, the lesson of how to share strength and protect would not be complete without the lesson of understanding that when you do good the recipient or those around that recipient may not always accept it. A teacher and friend once told me “that with some people you can do everything right to help and still be seen by others as wrong.” To some that is a foreign concept, but to many great individuals this is a common occurrence. Where would our nation be if every time doing right became tough, great individuals gave up out of fear of bodily harm, slander, oppression, etc?

I had a student whose sister was being bullied at school and so he taught his sister to get into a strong defensive stance and use her voice assertively to yell “stay back leave me alone.” He told her that the next time this boy bothers her, she was to do this. A few days later the boy went to bully her again and she followed her bothers guidance. Her performance was so powerful the boy began to cry. The boy was so hysterical the teachers first thought the girl hit him, but when the truth came out they where all amazed and inspired by her non-violent display of strength. However, their first original impression was that she was wrong.

I had another student who saw a girl being bullied at school by three other girls. While everyone was watch this young victim being pushed around by three aggressors my student stood up and positioned her self between the victim and her attackers. The attackers threatened her and told her to move out of the way. However, my student refused to move. The aggressors eventually backed down, but the truth is that this could have turned out bad in so many ways and it is always encouraged that youth get an adult involved as soon as possible. Ultimately these girls now look at my student as a person to heckle and she bares that weight because of her choice. When her parents told me the story in her presence I asked if she was okay with these girls now seeing her as an issue? Her response was that “it’s not fun but I did the right thing.”

There are forces in the world that search for brightness, but not to get inspired by it or to become a part of it. Instead these forces seek to attack and extinguish that light. When you are a good person doing great things in the world, if you choose to be a warrior protector you must always realize that not everyone will see the truth of your amazing brightness. Some will heckle you and some will even try to quail your light. Just like the light on my porch we have three main choices (not the only choices), let the bugs win and shut of the light; go through the hassle of moving the light somewhere else, or accept the bugs existence and find a way to insulate yourself from them (so they don’t interrupt your life as much) while allowing the light to stay on and shine.

“Don’t lie to yourself, position yourself!” was said to me and several other Jiu-Jitsu practitioners by a famous Jiu-Jitsu legend, as we attended his seminar. He used this statement as a way to say “give true and good energy while you are training.” Don’t give your partner anything that he did not earn through true position. He isn’t saying fight your partner, however he is emphasizing staying true in such a way that your partner knows if he/she really has the technique right.   This message is also to the person performing the technique. Don’t accept something that you know was not true to technique, but is instead a courteous handout from your partner simply to be nice.  In both aspects this statement was an eye opener for most. However for me not only did it mean a lot for training in a physical martial art, but it had a deeper meaning that transcended that moment or any physical martial application. To me it was a philosophical life principle.  We can all relate to a time where we said we wanted to do or accomplish something. We can also all relate to a time in which we did not complete or finish something we set out to do. There could be a number of reasons why these things don’t get done. Just to be fair, sometimes it is as simple as things out of our control, which happen in our lives that hinders our progress, and prevents us from accomplishing our goal. However, what about those who never really position themselves for success?  Those who say: “I want to lose weight,” but then they don’t exercise regularly or change their eating habits.  Those who say, “I want to quit smoking,” but don’t join a step program. For the purpose of keeping this simple let me use getting a black belt as an example. People come in to my school all the time and say they are ready and will do what it takes to get a black belt, however a few weeks or months later their training sessions begin to taper. Just to make sure it is not something serious I will ask why. Often I get, “well I am very busy; I decided to join this and that and I wanted to try this,” etc. I am all for gaining new experiences and trying new things however we also have to be aware that those could interfere with our goals. One place that this is easily witnessed is in School. While in high school if we take on too many projects it directly impacts our performance in a way we can quantify with grades. Thus we get a reminder of what we set out to do by outside influences called parents and teachers who guide us back on track. Unfortunately when we are on our own it is easy to get off track or never be on track. So think about it next time you set out to do something. Be honest about where you are and what it takes. Then set yourself up for success by positioning your life to help you accomplish your goal. Below are some things you can do to help you with this.

Step One:

Identify what you want to accomplish and write it down and hang it in a place where you will see it daily.

Step Two:

Be truthful about where you are and what it will take to accomplish it and if you are willing to do what it takes.

Step Three:

Position yourself to move in the direction of achieving your goal. Commit to a gym; join a quit-smoking help group; don’t take on too many projects that will shift your focus. Understand that obstacles are sure to be present but you have to stay focused.

Step Four:

Understand that we may have moments of questioning on the way to accomplishing our goal but remind yourself of that day you made up your mind to succeed and read your daily reminder.

“There are enough people lying to themselves, the world needs more people who position themselves.”

Often in our lives we will experience moment of hardship, uncertainty and fear. These three words can often be viewed as obstacles. These obstacles can keep us from achieving certain goals in our lives. The Elite Training Center is a place that teaches different ways of overcoming these challenges and finding success through determination, friendship and mastery of ones self. I have had people come in and say “Ninjutsu, that is an assassins art right?” I always smile inside and then tell them no, the true meaning of the word is “the art of endurance, perseverance and stealth (staying invisible to the things that don’t want me to succeed).”  Ninja means “one who never gives up (Nin = endure / persevere). That hardly sounds like a name of an art that teaches low character ruffians and assassins.

Recently one of my students hand to overcome his personal challenges and use the Nin concept as a means to take one step closer to his mastery of self as he blossoms into a Ninja. His name is Jack Barnes. Recently we hosted a Parkour seminar featuring the Tribe an elite parkour training group out of Washington DC. I invited them to the school to work with us on the basics of Parkour, a concept that is akin to Ninjutsu in that it also teaches to move pass obstacles without hesitation by mastering your self and your relationship with your physical environment.

During the seminar Jack a 9 year-old boy attended this seminar. With the support of his family he had tried over and over to climb a 7-foot wall. Eventually after several determined tries to get to the top, we added a vault box for him to use as a step. Once at the top of the wall Jack was flabbergasted to find that the real challenge wasn’t the climb at all, but a battle with his inner fears.

Take a moment to watch the attached video and see Jack’s triumph:

A few weeks ago I had a graduation and unfortunately my students came unprepared even though I told them exactly what they needed to know. Some of these students were my highest-ranking students. I stood there considering my options in terms of how to handle this situation.  I had to consider setting a good example for the students who came prepared and was able to perform according to my instructions.  I was concerned that the youth who studied the information would wonder, “why study if sensei is just going to let them pass anyway?”  This would send the wrong message to both sides.  For the students who were diligent, it would plant a seed that following instructions and preparation is not necessary to achieve.  For the students who were less diligent but still graduated, it would send the same message, thus setting them up for failure.  In my opinion this hinders the integrity of training.  The truth is that in other situations I have let people pass stripe test based on past performance, but never at a belt test. I know that nerves can create performance anxiety and thus I will make adjustments for that. However if I always make adjustments for those people they will never learn.  In most cases part of learning is to gain endurance to overcome, instead of giving a free pass.  It takes effort to excel, no one reaches perfection without work—patience and endurance.  There has to be balance. I use to think, “well they are just kids or this adult is just consumed with their daily hectic routine.” But then I had to ask myself what am I teaching?  The answer is, I am teaching mastery of an art and way of life. These youth and adults don’t get breaks at school or work every time they do not perform. There are times in class that a teacher may make adjustments when they can judge that a student did study but is just nervous, however, when it comes to midterms and finals that individual has to perform, no excuses.   Elite Training Center is dedicated to teaching every student how to succeed and triumph in life to the best of their ability.  Exercising compassion has its place but it must be applied diligently where there is balance.  Balance in a learning institution must show effort, respect and perseverance.

On that day several did not graduate, but the following week they all came prepared and successfully passed their test.   Although that may have seemed harsh, I know that that day they learned a life lesson and when they need to perform in the future in a setting outside of the school, consciously or subconsciously their mind will recall the moments in their life that they had to overcome the anxiety of performing when it mattered. The more they experience this the more likely they will be to recall that experience. This is the lesson of compassionate balance, understanding when needed and sternness when required.

“Ninja! You are the guys that throw a lot of high kicks.”

“I’ve heard of ninja; that is an assassin’s art.”

“Oh yeah, Ninja! Those nunchuck experts like Bruce Lee.”

“Ninja are the guys that run around in black pajamas.”

These are all actual statements I have heard in my time as a modern Ninjutsu
practitioner. During my beginning years in the art I use to get very frustrated by
these comments. However over the years I have grown to view these comments in
another way. In self-reflection I remember that there was a time I had no idea what
a ninja was. All I knew was what I saw on television. This is most people’s experience.

Only after diligent research and a little luck did I find my way to Stephen K. Hayes
(the first American to study the Ninja art), who became my teacher and friend. As
my time with him grew, I realized that my understanding of how to explain Ninjutsu
was not any easier. If a person asked me about it, but didn’t have a half hour to listen
to the response, then I could not give them a good answer. Even today, explaining
the art to someone who walks into my school is no easy task. My answer is usually
based on their first question. Or, if their first question is “What do you do here?,” I tell
them “We study the art of success and perseverance. Our art’s foundation is learning and gaining what we need to succeed in life Mentally, Physically and emotionally.”

Sometimes you can see that, for the parents just wanting to get their child in
Karate, this may be way too much, so I tone it down a bit for my audience. Thus, my
description is ever-changing.

Pondering this gave me an epiphany during my training. I tell my students all the time “You don’t have to fit Ninjutsu; it will fit you.”
I explain to them that, with an art that simply translates to the art of endurance/
perseverance, we are being trained in the understanding of flexibility and
adaptability above all else. It is, in essence, our duty to become or gain what we need
in order to be successful.

Because life brings many challenges, above all Ninjutsu teaches us an
analytical and philosophical approach to understanding endurance and success,
whether it is against a bully in the playground, a bully in the corporate office, a self-created personal challenge, or an environmental one. Giving up is never and option, but finding a way through always is. Essentially, Ninjutsu is about living.

Taking this concept of flexibility one-step further, To-Shin Do Ninjutsu is based
on an elemental teaching structure. Each belt color correlates to an element and each element teaches us a way of emotional, mental and physical action, reaction and understanding. Life is not about one way of doing things. It is a culmination
of people with different ideas and ways of doing things. We learn this through the
elemental structure.

Earth confident and strong; water is scientific and analytical;
fire is passionate and connected; wind is multi-functioning and ever present.
Each element also has a negative side. Earth is stubborn and arrogant; water is
disconnected and introverted; fire is aggressive and abrasive; wind is flighty and
aloof.

How would one explain all this in a fly-by meeting, where someone asks what is
Ninjutsu? It seems impossible, which leads me to my final point. In the past, Ninja
were successful because no one knew who they were or how to explain what they
were. This difficulty in identifying them was part of the stealthy nature of the Ninja.
Invisibility is not just about wearing dark pajamas – anyone can do that. Instead, one
aspect of being stealthy is being tough to identify. The irony is that all these years
later the stealth nature of Ninjutsu is not hindering the enemy any more, but instead
it has become a lesson and challenge for its modern practitioners trying to bring
its light to the modern day.

I find it beautiful and poetic – the idea that something designed more than 900 years ago is still a mystery to explain today. I know what it is in my heart and mind: as the master once said, “Ninjutsu is living.”

I ask you what does that mean exactly?

The Birth of a Tree

You should do?

Why don’t you do?

You need to do?

In my life, not only have I been blessed enough to hear these words from the wise people who surround me, I have also followed the suggestions that followed these questions, which helped me to find success in my many endeavors.

Only recently in my life have I found myself not wanting to hear these words, as much as seeing those who say them to me assist me by taking action and finishing this statement on their own.

From the outside looking in, it is easy to make suggestions on how someone could improve his or her life. However, it is rare to find people who make those suggestions and help you in the fulfilling of the idea.

In my current years as a business owner, I have witnessed this concept more and more. People approach me weekly and sometimes daily with ideas that I think are amazing. In some circumstances they will have a schedule and a timeline in which it will take me to accomplish this task. “If you come in at 10 a.m. everyday and spend 15 minutes on this then it will take you a week to get this job done and this amount of money.”

This statement is one of the higher levels of what I hear. Sometimes my friends can be so bold as to believe that because I did not take the time to implement their idea that I am not, or may not be, as successful as I could be.

I have found that this is not just happening to me in my life, others go through the same thing. I am also guilty of this.

So, for my life, I have tried to spend more time being conscious of taking action to help those around me instead of always making suggestions. Just to clarify, there will be times that a person will have to take action on his or her own, but the flip side to that is sometimes people could use initiative by those around them towards growth in their endeavors.

Fortunately, if you have wonderful friends who want to see you succeed, they’ll think about ways that you could improve an aspect of your life. In my case this aspect is business. The unfortunate part is that they may not take into account the reality of the time and effort it takes to run a full-time business: the 14-hour days of payroll, scheduling, facility maintenance, marketing, book keeping, administration, meetings, phone calls, inventory, instruction, event planning, etc.

In addition, what about the implementation of personal goals for the business; very rarely do friends take the time to think about  what is on your list of things to accomplish – some of which may be the very things they were going to suggest.

Even more unfortunate is that they don’t realize that action instead of suggestion can often be better. I think we are all guilty of this. How often have you suggested instead of helping or doing? We should take the opportunity to show those we care about how your idea may truly improve their situation by helping make it happen.

This does not have to be on a grand scale. Recently, a student came to me and suggested that I get hats made for the promotion of the school. I thought it was a great idea, but I had four projects already going that the student did not know about. These projects held equal to higher marketing value than the hats, and would cost a considerable amount of money and time to create.

The student came to me several times with the suggestion, until I explained the depth of my marketing plans and time constraints. I suggested that maybe the student would be interested in helping by donating the legwork to get two or three made, allowing me to step in when all of the logistics were worked out and I had the capital. The student moved forward and the hats are a hit; people have been requesting them. Now I know the market exists and all I have to do is order the hats. However, as proof to my point it took two months to get this done.

We should seek balance by not only offering suggestions but by offering help with implementing those suggestions. Don’t fall victim to the arrogance of knowing what is best without caring to know the facts involved. Instead, why not change our statements to ones like:

“Can I help you do?”

“Can I do?”

“I will do this to help you!”

With these words, and the actions that follow, not only will we feel the personal reward of seeing our ideas come to reality, but we will also feel the satisfaction of helping our friends and family succeed. I assure you that the gratitude you receive in return from the universe and your loved ones will be of a higher caliber.

The Birth of a Tree (poem) by Hakim Isler

The boy says to the seed as he plants it: “You should grow big and strong.” The water says to the seed: “Why don’t you grow above this soil and see the beautiful sky?” The sun says to the tiny sapling: “Why don’t you grow tall above the grass, so you can feel the grace of the wind?” The now fully grown and mature tree says “Thank you” in its heart to the boy who took the action of planting it, the water that took the action of providing hydration, and the sun for providing the nutrients for growth.

Take the action needed; be more than just words and great ideas.

“I got bored with it.”

“I wanted to try something new.”

“I kept seeing the same thing over and over.”

These are some of the most common phrases I hear in the martial arts. I have had personal friends after training for a time shy away from the martial arts because they feel like they have not learned anything new. Some of this I believe is a part of our societies mentality. We have grown so used to new advancements every year in multiple aspects of life such as the latest technological gadgets, the latest fashions, the newest video games the latest dance craze, that there are very few things in our lives that we dedicate the kind of length and focus it takes for mastery.

In The Master Lesson Pt. 1 we talked about the magic number of 10,000 hours for gaining mastery. How many people actually do anything in their life for this amount of time? We didn’t even talk about grand-mastery. We may say that if mastery takes 10,000 hours then grand-mastery may be found at 20,000 to 30,000 hours. Looking at my experience in the world of martial arts I see my teacher and his teacher as my example for what it takes to gain grand-mastery. My teacher has been teaching, studying and training in the same art and techniques for over 30 years. He has written over 19 books dealing with the topic and has lead hundreds maybe even over a thousand seminars.  Even at 61 he is as excited and enthusiastic with his training and teaching. I have even heard him on many of occasions say “I realized many years ago that the art I study is so deep, I will run out of life before I master it all. To some people this is scary and seems like a waste of time but to me it is inspiring and exciting.” After hearing my teacher saying this I think to myself how then can someone pretend to be a master or a grand-master after just a few short years? How can someone say they are bored when they have not studied long enough, under a master and on their own to be a master?

To be fair sometimes a person may find something boring because they grow out of interest in that thing or because they feel they are meant to be doing something else. However they have to understand that true mastery for any skill involves doing the same thing over and over for a long period of time but slowly having new experiences with it. Most masters find boredom at some point in their studies but I believe this is when they push harder or set new goals in that art. I had a close friend that rearranged his whole life to train in a martial art that he had been following since he was a kid. It took him 25 years. He moved to train with this teacher and after 8 years he left this teacher. I asked him why he left and he said that he wasn’t learning anything new. His teacher kept showing him the same thing over and over. His belief was that his teacher who had been doing the same thing for over 30 years had nothing else to teach him. Even though he had been studying with him for only 8 years. To be impartial there maybe something that happened or that he saw outside of just doing the same thing over and over that maybe he did not tell me. However if this was the case then how true was his desire for mastery, when the master gives guidance but the student ignores it or

claims it is boring then they do not truly seek mastery in that arena.

Another level of true mastery is finding different and new ways to perceive and apply the same information. Just ask any mathematician and they will tell you there is no new math just various ways to perceive equations and places where it can be used. In my personal experience I left Mechanical Engineering, as a major after I took a ninety minute test that required me to use the same formula to solve four separate problems. There was nothing wrong with my professors teaching or his knowledge of the subject, however I was the person lacking the commitment it took to become an engineer.

When you get bored with something you are trying to master, it may be time for you to change your perspective. If a shift in perspective does not work, don’t blame it on others maybe it was not truly you desire to be a master in that field.

10,000 hours.

10,000 hours of your life.

That’s a pretty big number.

Many people have said that this is what it takes to be a master. A new book called “Outliers” states that people who are highly recognized in their fields have close to or at least 10,000 hours performing and training in that field.
Over the years, I have met plenty of people who have said that they have heard and understand this concept. I have also met people who say that mastery can come a lot sooner — at least at 5,000 hours. Either way, I always wonder has a person really ever thought about the reality of that number?

Let’s put in perspective what it would take for a person to actually live this reality. Let’s say you spend 5 hours a day, 6 days a week training in a particular field. That means you spend 30 hours a week doing that particular activity. If you take that 30 hours a week and multiply it by 4 weeks then you have 120 hours a month. Next, multiply 120 by12 months and you will come up with 1,440 hours a year. Finally, if you multiple 1,440 by 7 years you come up with 10,080 hours. Even at 5,000 hours for mastery you are looking at 3.5 years.

Now that we have seen the numbers broken down, let’s be honest about the average American’s life. How often have we met a person who can dedicate 5 hours a day, 6 days a week to training in one particular field. You will probably not be able to think of too many people. Most people you will think of may be able to dedicate 1 hour a day, 3 days a week. If you do the math, then it will take 288 hours a year which means 2,880 hours in 10 years.
Because of this large difference in numbers, you can see that unless a person sets up there life so that their livelihood revolves around their training, then gaining mastery based on time invested in one skill is very difficult. This is why Olympians have no other jobs and sports all stars rarely work outside of training. Think about those you consider masters in something and review what it is they spend most of their time doing.

Now that we have broken down the time it takes to gain mastery, another aspect is quality training time. The saying “practice makes perfect” is not completely true. It is like studying and watching television and texting at the same time. Studies have proven the amount of actual information a person will retain while engaging in other activities while studying is less effective and normally more time consuming, than focused undistracted training study time. For this reason, the phrase “perfect practice, makes perfect,” was born. This phrase points to a direct relation of how dedicated quality practice with little distractions will enhance performance in a shorter time.

Upon the completion of this brief study of what it takes for true mastery, the next time you say “I want to be a master,” think about what that would really take. This honest perception will start you on the right path to your goal.
You can fake it or you can make it, but making it takes time and dedication, not short cuts.

“I had a wonderful conversation with parents at the dojo last night; we spoke about the difference in To-Shin Do personal development and other dojo/academy/studio’s programs. Many times in most martial arts and karate schools, the kids train, yet at the end of class they are admonished NOT to use their skills.

Our program is quite different! I want the kids (and adults for that matter) using their skills! I want the kids looking people in the eyes when speaking; I want the kids shaking hands using a two hand politely firm grip; I want the kids practicing a strong belief in themselves; I want the kids being aware when in public, yet not nervous. I want the kids to practice violence avoidance.

I guess the difference is in the programs themselves. So many arts do not match on the mat what one should do in a confrontation- therefore, the students are told not to “fight”. Proudly, To-Shin Do is completely congruent in their lessons: from the natural movements, to the finding space that will work against someone larger and faster, to developing total life skills.

All the training leads to becoming “Tatsujin“-a fully well rounded individual. There really is no better program out there. Period. I know- I have black belts in three other styles- but To-Shin Do became my home. Trust me- it is the program I put my kids in.”

~Kriss Gakutoshi (www.npmac.com)
Newbury Park Martial Arts Center and great friend to Elite Training Center

Recently one of my female students was playing around with one of her male friends at our Dojo (training hall). The friend was pretending he was going to assault the student, who assumed a strong defensive posture (Bo-Bi No Kamae), and started yelling “Stay Back!” At this point another patron of the school, who attends the fitness classes, said: “Yelling stay back isn’t going to win a bar fight.”

He said more, but I had already laughed and walked away.

When I worked as a DJ and security guard at night clubs and bars I saw a lot of what it takes to win a fight. I am sure in my fitness student’s mind, winning a bar fight meant beating up the other guy. The truth is that the only way to win a bar fight is not to get into it. I know that sounds cliché, but it’s the truth; when it comes to a bar fight, of all the ones I’ve seen, people rarely “win.”

For the purpose of this blog lets define winning as ending the confrontation without sustaining a lot of damage mentally, physically, and monetarily (yes monetarily). Lets break it down one by one.

I have known people to sustain mental damage from being hit over the head with a bottle, chair, table, trash can, speaker, or by being kicked or punched. I have also known people to be choked so long that the lack of oxygen to the brain was believed to have caused brain damage.

I have seen people sustain irreversible facial scars and laceration from most of the above, including knives and guns, as well as other bodily scars.

I’ve known people who had to pay thousands of dollars to repair not only the physical and mental damage to their bodies and minds, but to their opponents as well.

I’ve seen guys defending themselves or their girlfriends, but in the melee the bouncers got confused and mistook the defenders for instigators. You can guess what happened next. I have also known bouncers who didn’t care who started a fight and decided to rough up all involved just because they needed to let off steam or felt like setting an example.

So what is the answer?

Don’t fight! This is the only true way to win both the battle and the war.

However, if you have no other choice, then make sure you make it clear to everyone that you are the defender and not the aggressor. This is where having your hands up and out (universal sign of stay away) and yelling “Stay back!” comes into play. It shows onlookers that you are not the instigator. It doesn’t magically stop an aggressor, but when it comes time to explain your story to the police, your statements (and those from witnesses) will prove you were the good guy. And that will definitely help in a courtroom. This technique is damage control at worst and a deterrent at best.

This advice will help you win the battle. But if you have to fight, the wounds you will sustain physically, mentally, or monetarily will make you feel like you lost the war.