This is the current situation with Miky in Romania. My thanks to all the generous people who have helped out with donations thus far. Here is a copy of an email I received yesterday in regard to her condition.
Hi Art;
Just spoke with Cristina on the phone. She is on her way back from Bucharest with Nelu and Oti. They had a chance to visit with Miky and a team of physicians that are keeping her alive.
It appears that the culprit is a very severe case of bacterial infection (sepsis infection) of the blood. They are administering her a drug (xigris). I’ve googled it and pretty much falls in line with her status as described by the physicians, in other words, it is administered to patients with severe case ofsepsis, in life or death situations. Miky’s condition apparently outweighs the severe side affects of the drug as I understand.
She is in an induced coma, six of her organs have been desumated by the bacteria and she is on life support. The doctors give her a 2% chance for survival, and she could pass away today, tomorrow or maybe weeks. Right now this drug is holding it’s ground I think, and life support took over all her vital functions. The doctors are testing her blood for improvement. Apparently the doctors do not have an answer as to what caused the sepsis infection. Unfortunately, I have been unable to travel with them to see Miky.
It is a very sad situation Art, but at this point I am not sure how we can help. Apparently this hospital is top ranked in this department and have the resources for intervening in the worst cases such as Miky’s.
Lets all pray for her subconscious fighting it while the sepsis infection goes away, blood and organ treatment refined and recovery begins.
Tib
Anyone who wished to help this family please follow this LINK. Again thank you all for your kindness and support
Martial Arts people are some of the most generous people I know. That is why I am doing this blog post. Please read this article below and follow the links provided. It is your chance to make a difference.
Hello Everyone,
If you look to the right of this article you will find a donation button to help a good friend of mine in Romania with medical expenses. I met this lady about 6 months ago and she helped me to travel to her country to introduce the art of Kyusho Jitsu to martial artists there.
Approximately one week ago from the date of this article she took ill with a serious liver condition. Her life is currently in danger, however the situation is improving. I arranged on Wednesday of this week for a helicopter airlift to Bucharest to save her life. Without this she had no chance for survival. However the problems still exist. The medical system in Romania is very poor and very expense. The economy in the country is in ruins.
Currently I am fund raising and taking donation to help the family with these expenses. Any and all donations are welcome and ALL the money is sent directly to the family. If you would like to help please use the donation button to the right of this article. All donors will have their name added to a card for Miky which Master Art will personally deliver to her when he returns by request of her family as soon as she regains consciousness.
Thank you for your generosity in this matter! Please see UPDATES below.
Sunday July 18th 2010 As of this writing Miky is in stable, but serious condition in Bucharest. She is currently on a machine which is cleaning her blood since her liver is all but shut down. This is LIVER DIALYSIS which will help to regenerate the liver. The cost of this procedure is 3500 euro which is NOT covered by insurances. Please follow the link provided for more information.
When I do Kyusho Course in my school, the novice session is 12 3 hour segments lasting a year in time. We meet once per month. My success rate with these groups getting to Black Belt is very high, but there is a reason for it. We follow certain laws that pertain to learning a new skill or any skill for that matter.
There are 4 major areas we will talk about.
1) Who to listen too. There are many people on the internet who are claiming high ranks and understanding of the art. How do you decide? Find someone who is doing the things with Kyusho you want to learn to do. That simple, but often overlooked.
2) Am I teachable? This is an important question to ask yourself. How badly on a scale of 1 to 10 do I want to learn this information and what I am will to do, change or give up to do it!
3) Technical Balance - There is a certain amount of technical skill needs to be balanced with the information processed from Kyusho Jitsu.
4) Putting it together. There are 4 knowledge states to be considered. Your goal is to the reach the forth. This takes time and much word to achieve.
a) Unconscious Incompetence- This is not knowing you don’t know something b)Conscious Incompetence – This is know that you do not know c)Conscious Competence – This is know that you know something d)Unconscious Competence – This is doing something you know without thinking about it. This is the ultimate place to be in any martial art or skill.
If you apply this these skills to anything you are learning you will find great success in the field in question. Kyusho is a great example of this. If you would like to know more about learning Kyusho Jitsu visit on Kyusho Online Course Website
Over the last few nights like so many other Canadians I have been watching the Winter Olympics. The coverage on CTV has been excellent, especially in the way it has shown some back stage footage. What cause my attention? Figure skating.
Watching these athletes working backstage on their routines was very inspiring. You can see the love and dedication for their sport in their eyes and actions. This is the sign of a champion in any sport. As martial artists where do you rank?
These men and women made it to the Olympics not just on their ability alone. They also got there as a result of their thinking processes. What was their self talk like? What was it about? The answer is obvious.
For the martial arts, the art must be in the mind and heart in order to successful in it. You see everything as a technique or movement and not just in classes. When the mind becomes like this, the martial ways will permeate your life. You will not just walk the path of the warrior you will live it!
How often during the day does your training come to your mind?
What is Zen? To explain Zen means to lose the meaning of Zen. Most people will look at Zen as a form of Buddhism, which is true, but Zen is so much more that this. The practice of martial arts and Zen go hand in hand. Here is a quote from the article “Zen is the Only Living Truth”
“Zen is not effort. Effort is tension, effort is work, effort is to achieve something. Zen is not something to achieve. You are already that. Just relax, relax so deeply that you become a revelation to yourself.” Osho
Zen is a state of mind where duality has been transcended. In martial arts there are many dualities, in fact there are nothing but dualities. Why? Because our world is a world of opposites. Zen means to go beyond these opposites. For the beginner this is a difficult task. In the first few months of martial art training there are many physical movements that must be learned. We will teach you to block, punch, and kick your opponent is a preset pattern. There is an attack, and a defense. There is a hit and a block.
Some martial arts organizations will increase the duality with competition. In competition there is always a winner and loser. Most people view winning and losing as a fact of life. This only a state of mind, not a reality.
Zen means to go beyond all duality. However to transcend duality you must first experience it. All things can be transcended through meditation. If fact, meditation and martial arts go hand in hand. At one time meditation was taught in every martial art dojo. But today, with the vast diversification of beliefs in our population meditation and the art have parted company. Development of the mind has been abandoned for political correctness.
For the beginner Zen is experienced in brief glimpses. It can come at a belt testing when after performing your Kata you can’t recall doing it. You are in the ZONE. Over time the brain can go on autopilot and perform Kata, but for the beginner this is rare. The experience is most likely Zen related.
If you look for Zen you will never find it. Zen is effortless. Zen and martial arts is about movement. There is never an attacker or opponent. There is no self, only movement. Like a beautiful dance with no music. Expert for the music playing inside the student of the arts.
Can a beginner discover Zen? The answer lies with the beginner. Zen is there for everyone, waiting to be found.
When you first start to study a martial art you are taught the basics of punching, kicking and blocking. Now in reality there is no blocking, blocks are just strikes. You will train and practice this for years and years until you perfect these moments. Many practitioners think that the perfection of these movements makes them masters, and to some degree this is true, but there is still so very much more to learn.
If we take a look at competition the martial artist will focus on what it is they wish to accomplish in the ring. They practice and drill the techniques they wish to use. To be a world class competitor you must train hard and get your body into fantastic shape. This cannot be kept up indefinitely and from a self defense aspect the focus is in the wrong place. As the fighter ages he or she become less and less affective. This is not what the arts intend.
The truth is that the longer you practice, and the older you get the more affective the art should become. This means that it must take a different direction where physical fitness is no longer the focus. A direction where understanding the human body and how it works become paramount. The focus goes to the attacker.
When a person is first learning to defend themselves they are again taught the basics. Punch, kick and block. The focus moves to defense against grabs, pushes and punches in what is often called a 1 step situation. These are learning tools, not reality. Some of the reality systems will then proceed to practice ‘live’ attacks, often first spinning the defender to take them off their game and forcing adrenaline to flow. This practice has it’s benefits but once again misses the target. The older the practitioner the less affective this will be. It relies purely on strength, stamina and timing. Understanding of movement is simply not there.
The true path to advancement is in the study of the opponent and how he moves. Movement is universal and therefore can be understood and mastered. The masters of old, men like Morihei Ueshiba and Gichin Funakoshi were masters of understanding movement, the opponent and how it was to be applied. Once the basics are mastered the martial artist must move on to learning to understand the natural laws of movement and the laws of the opponent. Only then will his or her art become timeless and ageless. Sport is a great learning tool, but it is not the path, only a fork in the road along the way.
The martial arts is a lifelong path, on in which the learning never stops.
Many of the essay’s I write on this blog are inspired by questions or comments of my students. This essay is no exception. This Black Belt wrote – ” A black belt is something you become not something you receive. It is also something you can lose..” It is wonderful to see someone having this realization!
Black Belt is an achievement, no doubt about that. This achievement cannot be taken away or diminished from. However, what being a Black Belt really means goes far beyond the mere physical success. A true Black Belt is something you are, some you become, an awakening, not merely an achievement. With this understanding, yes you can lose it.
Black Belt is a state of mind, it is an awareness, it is true self discovery. There are many people wearing Black Belts who have realized none of this. Depending on their age and rank this is normal. Self discover and realization goes far beyond that. A true Black Belt knows and understands that it is not about the opponent or the attacker, it is only about themselves. When it is about the attacker it is ego based. It is a win/lose scenario. When it is about self discovery it is about movement only. It becomes about defense, yielding, an ego less victory.
Whenever I talk with Black Belts or advanced students I find it interesting how they focus on the first attack of the opponent. They will fixate on the attack, the punch, the grab, the knife or what have you and the technique they wish to use. The true Black Belt will understand that it is about movement and natural laws, laws that prevent the follow up attack, the second punch, the sweep etc. There is never a choice of technique.
The understanding a Black Belt needs is what the direction of focus is. The focus should come inward, self understanding and self knowledge. The focus is on body movement. When this is understood self defense become simple, uncomplicated and free of technique. In it’s highest form there is no body contact.
Don’t strive to acheive a Black Belt, be a Black Belt.
True Martial Art study is a melding of mind, body and spirit. Ancient martial arts texts will often refer to the ‘spiritual warrior.’ But has this part of martial arts training been lost in the last few decades, diluted by competition and the drive for higher and higher ranks?
When I began my martial arts training many years ago one of the first things my instructor dealt with in me was my ‘ego’. He said that ego had no place in martial arts training. Being since I wanted to become a Black Belt someday I knew I had to follow his instruction to the letter. I let go of my ego, became quiet and started to learn. Our school at that time was very competitive in nature. He was an international tournament champion, one of the best of the times. My first competition was 5 months into training. I lost, a very close fight, but I lost. Afterward he asked me know I thought I had done in the fight. I grumbled and said I believed some of my kicks were close enough and should have been points. He laughed and said, “winners never complain.”
As time went by I discover that the less I was concerned about winning, the more I won. I went into the ring to have a good time and see how many points I could score. The competition became against myself rather than the other guy. I was beginning to understand the function of my ego.
My passion in the arts was not found in competition. To me it really showed nothing of the true artist, only how good his physical conditioning was at that time. The better shape I was in the better I did in the ring. My passion was self defense. As my fighting days came to a close, my passion for finding truth in self defense began to flower.
Often times self defense in a Dojo is practiced in perfect conditions. Your partner of Uki will cooperate as to allow learning of the required techniques. Sometimes you would have Uki’s that required tremendous force to control, others were very easy and then sometimes your techniques simply fail. Every person is different, what was the universal thread to put these techniques together?
Soon came the rediscovery of ‘ego.‘ Once again when the ego is silenced the techniques work on anyone. The wisdom of martial arts training and study is not found in the style that you teach or learn. It is found in the understanding that all movement is universal and that the true advanced study of martial arts is only about movement. The EGO stands still! Ego fights for position. The EGO resists and holds it ground. In ego there must be a winner and loser, a right and wrong. No mind (no ego) means only to move, move from moment to moment following the Uki’s attempts at control.
Martial Arts and Wisdom are not found in a ring or in a rank. They are found in the understanding of flow and movement. The mind of no mind.
When I first started my training in the martial arts I was in the Dojo 6 days per week and hour per night. I continued this pace until I reached my Green Belt. After than time I had the great joy of increasing my time to 2 hours per night. I would train with the advanced class and then stay and train will the beginners class. Sunday was the only day of rest.
Today as a school we understand better the dynamics of training. Our adult classes are 75 minutes in length and encourage people to only train 2 times per week. This has proven to be best for student retention and longevity. The benefits of training in the martial arts come with time.
In this day and age even twice per week can be challenging for people. It is not because they don’t want to train. It is because their priorities get mixed up and training is put off. People will give me a million excuses for not being in class. “Sir, I had to do this, or that.” All fine, but essentially all excuses. Sometimes there are good reasons, but this is in the 10% bracket.
Now if you join a gym or health club they really don’t want you to come. They want you to pay. Martial Art training is instruction and the teacher wants you there. You are missed when not in class. But how important is this training? Think back to how you feel at the end of a class. The high you encounter from the endorphins flowing in your body. You have spent time exercising the muscles, heart, lungs and your MIND. You feel great, the best you have felt all day!
Instead often times students can be found on Facebook playing a game, watching TV or some other mindless event. Yet they wonder why they feel so lousy.
The benefits of training in the martial arts come with time.
Martial Arts connects the mind and the body. Most people live only in the mind and have forgotten their body. The only time they feel it is when something has gone wrong. Your health and state of mind are far to important to be ignored.
One of the greatest challenges in teaching self defense is making the students understand that the body needs to be in constant motion. Often times you will see students struggling with a technique because they are standing still and trying to muscle the Uki to get the desired result. I call this constipated motion.
As I travel and visit other schools and clubs I will often see this in their self defense. Strength is used to make techniques work, rather then angle and direction. Martial Arts when taught properly can be a size equalizer despite what some instructors may feel. My first instructor was a big and powerful man. He could make just about any techniques you can think of work. However most of us could not. We lacked the physical size and prowess to muscle our way with a larger, stronger opponent.
The word ‘foundation‘ is often used to refer to basic techniques of the arts. But students will often think that the instructor is referring to a block or punch, when the truth is foundation means what is going on below the waist. How are the legs and hips moving.
Do you want to improve your martial arts skills? Study the movement of the Master below the waist. You will be amazed at what you will learn!
“All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.” by The Buddha
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This is the current situation with Miky in Romania. My thanks to all the generous people who have helped out with donations thus far. Here is a copy of an email I received yesterday in regard to her condition.
