Karate 4 Life Martin & Sandra Phillips

In the episode we going to wrap up our mini-series about ichi gan, ni soku, san tan, shi riki as we take a deeper look into the forth and final element riki: technique & power.



The forth element, is literally power, but is often referred to as technique. This alludes to the fact that real power is created from correct technique, rather than physical strength.



This final principle relies on the correct application of the preceding principles first, without proper use of eyes, legs & attitude, the opportunity to generate natural power through correct technique is lost.



---- Transcript ----



Martin: Hey everyone, this is Martin & Sandra Phillips and welcome back to the Karate 4 Life Podcast.



Sandra: Today we want to dig a bit deeper into the basics of karate and life...



Martin: ...taking a closer look at the forth and final element of ichi gan, ni soku, san tan, shi riki - technique and power.



We've noticed that everyone faces challenges in life, some big some small. But not everyone has a way to navigate these problems.



Sandra: It’s not always easy, but we’ve found that we always keep coming back to what we’ve learned from our years in the dojo.



Martin: And that’s what this podcast is all about...



Sandra: Helping us all find the solutions to life’s problems. Or even better yet, to remove the problems before they arise.



Martin: This is Martin & Sandra Phillips and welcome to the Karate 4 Life Podcast.





Sandra: Getting a bit excited today, Martin, as we come to a close with our Ichi Gan Ni Soku San Tan Shi Riki series. How are you feeling about this?



Martin: It's really good to get it wrapped up. It's been a bit of a mission, hasn't it, to get through all of these? It's quite a lot of ground we've covered.



Sandra: There's been some great feedback though. It's really been helping some people in their dōjō but also in their lives as well. We're learning that quite a few people are also having chats with their kids about this sort of stuff.



Martin: Yes, it's really good to see how especially the parents, they listen to this and they take it in themselves as the parents of the training course, they take it in themselves and they're sharing with their kids and it's creating a bit of a conversation point. This is what we're doing this for in the first place is to hopefully get a bit of that happening.



Sandra: Yes, it's fantastic, isn't it? Well, look, let's just get ourselves moving into this last episode for this particular series and see how we go.



Martin: Ichi Gan Ni Soku San Tan Shi Riki. What's the saying Soke's Kyohon (Soke's teaching manual)?



Sandra: We have Riki is technique. "Through diligent training of Kata and Kumite, technique will develop naturally."



Now I know this disturbs you just a little bit. Do you want to share why it disturbs you certainly it gets you questioning?



Martin: I'm always a little bit disturbed by this but it's okay, that's a good thing.



Sandra: It gets you thinking deeply.



Martin: It makes me think and I love that, I love that. Again, the character that's used to describe this Riki is literally power and yet in that description there, there's no description of power at all and I asked myself that question if the character says power, why are we not talking about power? This is technique, we're talking about technique. I did come up with a bit of an answer to this but I don't know you....



Sandra: Yes, but I mean we're having a chat a bit earlier as well and we both reflected on our journeys. We both agreed that when we first started our training, we focused on trying to be really powerful and being strong.



Martin: That's the mistake that everybody makes, if the focus is on power, yes through the process of developing good technique you will generate natural power and that's the goal. If you focus on developing power, most people will misinterpret that and think physical strength which is the opposite of what we're

In the episode we continue going deeper into ichi gan, ni soku, san tan, shi riki as we take a deeper look into the third tan power: grit, determination, guts, tenacity, an indomitable spirit that won’t back down.



Sometimes you just have to ask yourself the question,



"How bad to you want it?"



Technique alone won't win you a fight or get you out of a tough situation.



We've seen it so many times in competition, the best fighters don't always win. It's not just about your speed, power, technique or even how well you understand the strategy of the game.



"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog."





---- Transcript ----



Martin: Hey everyone, this is Martin & Sandra Phillips and welcome back to the Karate 4 Life Podcast.



Sandra: Today we want to dig a bit deeper into the basics of karate and life, taker a closer look at the third element of ichi gan, ni soku, san tan, shi riki - grit & determination.



Martin: We've noticed that everyone faces challenges in life, some big some small. But not everyone has a way to navigate these problems.



Sandra: It’s not always easy, but we’ve found that we always keep coming back to what we’ve learned from our years in the dojo.



Martin: And that’s what this podcast is all about...



Sandra: Helping us all find the solutions to life’s problems. Or even better yet, to remove the problems before they arise.



Martin: This is Martin & Sandra Phillips and welcome to the Karate 4 Life Podcast.





Sandra: Moving forward Martin today, we are moving on to San Tan but I dare say without Ichi Gan Ni Soku, this won't be all that much fun.



Martin: Yes, there's a reason this is number three. Although it's incredibly powerful and it can carry you a long way forward, I think it definitely worked best when you've got those foundations of the first two elements in place.



Sandra: I guess Ichi Gan Ni Soku tend to I guess, position yourself, prepare yourself, creating that always ready feel about you. This is what really takes it to a whole lot new level and drives you towards wherever you want to go.



Martin: Yes, it turns it up a notch, doesn't it?



Sandra: Yes, and as we probably would learn very, very soon, it does enable you to do bold attacks. Whether it's in life or in a Dojo, makes it very, very possible when we add this element.



Martin: Yes. It certainly does. May be we should explain what it's all about.



Sandra: Yes, sure thing. We have San Tan, should we just read this from...



Martin: Going back through it, so Ichi Gan, first, the eyes, Ni Soku, second, the stance or the legs, San Tan maybe we've coined it as grit and determination, which you kind of see from this explanation we're about to read out. This is from Soke's teaching manual the kyohon. Could you do the honours there?



Sandra: Yes, sure thing. "Tan refers to the liver. Tan power is the foundation for cultivating ki power, will power, perseverance, and endurance. By cultivating Tan power, spirit sickness (Shikai), and other such weaknesses are gone. Correct judgment ability results and bold attacks are possible."



Martin: Yes, there's a lot there hey. A lot there. I'll just get back to the very first part as I mentioned previously, Tan refers to the liver. I've done a little bit more research on this one. It's not specifically liver as an organ, but it's literally that colloquial term "the gut" when you have that gut feeling or somebody shows guts. Liver is probably a little bit of a misnomer there.



The other one is probably worth repeating once again, is Tan is a different thing to Tanden as a term we hear here in the Dojo quite a bit. Tanden refers to the energy center located in the lower abdomen. While it's very much related to Tan power, they're not one and the same. They're two different things. Let's carry on anyway.



Sandra: All right. Let's take a very different perspective on this one compared to what we have taken with Ich

In the episode we continue going deeper into ichi gan, ni soku, san tan, shi riki as we take a deeper look into the second element the legs (stance).



The stance is the foundation upon which we build, it grounds us and is the basis for all movements and actions that carry us forwards.





---- Transcript ----



Martin: Hey everyone, this is Martin & Sandra Phillips and welcome back to the Karate 4 Life Podcast.



Sandra: Today we want to dig a bit deeper into the basics of karate and life, taker a closer look at the second element of ichi gan, ni soku, san tan, shi riki - the stance.



Martin: We've noticed that everyone faces challenges in life, some big some small. But not everyone has a way to navigate these problems.



Sandra: It’s not always easy, but we’ve found that we always keep coming back to what we’ve learned from our years in the dojo.



Martin: And that’s what this podcast is all about...



Sandra: Helping us all find the solutions to life’s problems. Or even better yet, to remove the problems before they arise.



Martin: This is Martin & Sandra Phillips and welcome to the Karate 4 Life Podcast.





Sandra: We've managed to wrap up Ichi Gan, the eyes, Martin, and we do need to move on to Ni Soku. Before we do that, I wanted to share with you I had quite a few people come and talked to me about the Ichi Gan, the eyes segment, and are really interested to learn a lot more about Ni Soku now. They're kind of hanging out.



Martin: The pressure.



Sandra: You've delayed this one coming out. You've had quite a busy time at the moment, but you should look at this a bit quicker I think.



Martin: We need to get it moving.



Sandra: Yes. Okay, so where should we start?



Martin: I think we'll start the same way we did last time and look at Soke's text, his teaching manual the Kyohon. I might show our video again to read it out.



Sandra: "The basis of all movement and posture. Always take care to unconsciously have correct and smooth stepping motion, stance, and way of evasion."



Martin: That's simple stuff, really. Isn't it?



Sandra: You try and do that well. Maybe if you work it out you can let me know.



Martin: Yes. A simple idea, simple but not easy.



Sandra: Okay. Well, let's see if we can break it down just a little bit more than that. When we were having a chat earlier, we were discussing three points as far as looking at the stance, looking at stability, mobility, and also power generation. Maybe let's go to the stability first, and let's see if we can unpack that just a little bit.



Martin: Stability, I guess, that gets back to what we do with our brand new beginner students. The first thing we do when we're looking at stance is literally just getting the feet in the correct position. How wide is your stance? How long is your stance? How much do you bend your knees? Creating that position of stability, but, I guess, this is where we probably need to tie back to the eyes as well.



As we talked about last time with the eyes, that creates that posture and that structure, and then the stance builds on that creating a full body structure.



Sandra: Yes, so we have those little tests in class where there's a big strike shield coming whacking at you or whether it's a one-finger test on your belt, if you don't have your eyes in the correct position, it makes it very hard to maintain a strong stance.



Martin: Yes, this is a bit of a paradox with teaching brand new students to get your feet in the right spot. Automatically most people look down at their feet. They look down at their feet, and they go, "Oh, okay. Are my feet in the right spot?" Then they might have their feet in the right spot, but because they've looked down, they've broken that structure. They've broken the posture. It kind of defeats the purpose of having their feet in the right spot in the first place because they don't have that stability.



Sandra: Yes, so true. Then, as we tend to take people through thei

In the episode we continue going deeper into ichi gan, ni soku, san tan, shi riki as we take a deeper look into the first element the eyes.



The eyes are the most important of all the basics and the way we use them will effect everything else that follows.





---- Transcript ----



Martin: Hey everyone, this is Martin & Sandra Phillips and welcome back to the Karate 4 Life Podcast.



Sandra: Today we want to dig a bit deeper into the basics of karate and life, taker a closer look at the first element of ichi gan, ni soku, san tan, shi riki -the eyes.



Martin: We've noticed that everyone faces challenges in life, some big some small. But not everyone has a way to navigate these problems.



Sandra: It’s not always easy, but we’ve found that we always keep coming back to what we’ve learned from our years in the dojo.



Martin: And that’s what this podcast is all about...



Sandra: Helping us all find the solutions to life’s problems. Or even better yet, to remove the problems before they arise.



Martin: This is Martin & Sandra Phillips and welcome to the Karate 4 Life Podcast.





Sandra: Martin, are you ready to do this today?



Martin: I think so. I think so. We've been spending a little bit of time collecting our thoughts and doing a bit of a brain dump. Every time we look at this we seem to find new angles and new ways to approach things and go a little bit deeper, so we'll see how we go pulling it together.



Sandra: Yes, and I guess for those who have been doing martial arts for a long time, and especially those who are way above our time in the Dojo. For myself personally, I know for you too, every time we discuss Ichi Gan with students of various ages, levels, it always seems to have a similar message, yet also very different. Different angles of how we actually attack those-



Martin: Depending on the audience.



Sandra: -conversations. Yes. Again, this could really blow out, really....



Martin: Yes, it could go so many different directions, maybe a list to help focus, we'll get back to that. The text from Soke's teaching manual, I might let you read there if that's okay.



Sandra: Sure thing. Okay, so... "Ichi Gan, it is said that the spirit of a person is shown most through the eyes. In Budō, Gan represents the power of insight into the movement of the opponent's body, spirit, etc.



Martin: Oh, wow. This is really looking at it from a technical point of view, and I guess to hear the saying, "The eyes are the window to the soul," as looking, not just at their physical body, but their emotional state and their mental state, and looking at how we do that. Perhaps, we'll get onto that in a little bit. Maybe we'll get back and look at it.



Sandra: Yes, let's go really simple.



Martin: We'll go really simple.



Sandra: Really simple, and just think, okay, if we just go back to ourselves as individuals, so we look at as far as how we use the eyes for ourselves.



Martin: As an individual, when I think eye focus, I think, "Where are my eyes fixed? Am I looking down? Am I looking up? Am I focused on something? Am I just in a bit of a daze?" Just by aligning the eyes, looking forwards, that in turn, helps to align the posture and creates a position of personal power. When the head comes down, when the eyes come down, the head comes down, the posture collapses. When you hold that for any extended period of time, you start to feel a little bit depressed.



Sandra: Yes, low energy, not much flowing through you.



Martin: Then, just by opening that up, opening it up, fixing the eyes off into the distance, looking forwards rather than backwards, it allows you to create that feeling of strength within yourself.



Sandra: Yes. Would you also say that with that feeling, it tends to also help correct the posture?



Martin: Oh, absolutely.



Sandra: And create greater stability and balance...?



Martin: Yes, one feeds into the other. The eyes feed into the posture, the posture feeds into th

We're very excited to be introducing an incredibly deep topic in this episode, but to be honest we feel like we're only just scratching the surface.



It's a bit of a technical topic, but it's also a great metaphor for life.



In the dojo, we always ask the question, "What is it that I need to focus on the most that will have the biggest impact on what I'm trying to do?" In going as deep as you can on these concepts in this podcast you'll always find a good answer to this question.



Hopefully it is more than enough to get you curious and keen to learn more. This episode is just a start, in upcoming episodes we will go deeper and explore each of the elements of this concept in greater detail.





---- Transcript ----



Sandra: Hey everyone, this is Martin & Sandra Phillips and welcome back to the Karate 4 Life Podcast.



Sandra: Today we want give you an introduction to the basics of karate and life.



Martin: Otherwise know as ichi gan, ni soku, san tan, shi riki.



We've noticed that everyone faces challenges in life, some big some small. But not everyone has a way to navigate these problems.



Sandra: It’s not always easy, but we’ve found that we always keep coming back to what we’ve learned from our years in the dojo.



Martin: And that’s what this podcast is about...



Sandra: Helping us all find the solutions to life’s problems...



Martin: Or even better yet, to remove the problems before they arise.



Sandra: This is Martin & Sandra Phillips and welcome to the Karate 4 Life Podcast.





Sandra: Wow, Martin I can't believe we're actually doing this one today. To be honest with you, when you first mentioned this, I thought, "You can't be serious." This is just--



Martin: It's a bit of a deep topic this one, isn't it?



Sandra: It's so deep. It's insanely deep. I don't know how to explain it. It's going to be a tough few episodes for us coming up, I think, because we're only going to be scratching on the surface, if that.



Martin: Yes, this is a bit like that. This really is the foundation for everything that we do in the dojo. We look at this concept, ichi gan, ni soku, san tan, shi riki, and it is the basis of all basics. It's the basis of everything that we do, not just in the dojo, but it's a fantastic metaphor for life as well, as we take these lessons outside of the dojo as well.



Sandra: Yes. Even, I guess, right now, you could say, "A long story made short," just really appreciate these concepts and really apply them and go deep as you possibly can.



Martin: We probably should explain what they are, shouldn't we?



Sandra: We really should do that, yes. Okay. In the intro, we mentioned ichi gan, ni soku, san tan, and shi riki. I'm going to hand it over to you, because you're our Japanese kanji expert. If you could please do a little bit of a quick meaning of these four.



Martin: Yes. Ichi gan, this first, is the eyes.



Sandra: Ichi means number one, right?



Martin: Number one. Ichi gan, yes. First, the eyes. Ni soku, the second, is legs or the stance.



Sandra: Ni is number two and Soku is legs.



Martin: San tan-- I'm going to pause here for a moment, because this one's often mistranslated and, to be honest, there's not really a great English version of this. San tan is often translated as tanden-- not really a translation, but just a Japanese word used. Tanden refers to the energy center in your body located in your lower abdomen. San tan is literally liver.



Sandra: Yes?



Martin: The liver. It kind of sounds a bit strange, but we'll get to that later.



Sandra: We'll get to that.



Martin: Shi riki, this fourth, is power. When you add these first three together, ichi gan, ni soku, san tan, shi riki-- because shi equals riki, that's the power.



Sandra: Like a birthday cake. There's your ingredients; 1 + 2 + 3 = your cake that you just baked in the oven.



Martin: That's the one. Yes. Good way to describe it.



Sandra: If you think of it like that, we're g

How good would it be if you could get a 1% return on investment?



Well… if you thinking 1% per annum like the banks give you, then it's probably not so attractive.



But what about if it’s 1% per week or even 1% per day, compounded?



Sounds too good to be true, but it's possible.



Full disclosure: This episode is about personal growth, not finances. But if properly applied, this could also have a very positive effect on your finances if that's your focus.



We want to help you make a shift in mindset that allows you to create this kind of growth through consistent effort and a push towards continual improvement.



Think about it, let's say there's something that you really like to do and you do it on a regular basis… like karate ;-)



Every time you train, you aim to improve by just 1%. If you can do that, how quickly do you think you could be twice as good compared to your starting point?



This is the basis of the rule of 1%, but it doesn't stop there.





---- Transcript ----



Martin: Hey everyone, this is Martin & Sandra Phillips and welcome back to the Karate 4 Life Podcast.



Sandra: Today we want to talk about, ‘The Rule of 1%.’



Martin: We've noticed that everyone faces challenges in life, some big some small. But not everyone has a way to navigate these problems.



Sandra: It’s not always easy, but we’ve found that we always keep coming back to what we’ve learned from our years in the dojo.



Martin: And that’s what this podcast is about...



Sandra: Helping us all find the solutions to life’s problems...



Martin: Or even better yet, to remove the problems before they arise.



Sandra: This is Martin & Sandra Phillips and welcome to the Karate 4 Life Podcast.





Sandra: Okay, today, Martin, we wanted to look at one of the most powerful habits that we've come to learn over time. I guess initially in our journeys we didn't really realise we're even doing this when we're quite young, but I guess when you're teaching for a long time, you soon come to realise the power of this habit. I'm going to hand over to you to share a bit more about this habit.



Martin: All right. In one of the previous episodes, we've talked about the idea of a growth mindset and that the idea of seeking continual improvement. One of the really powerful ways to do that is through this "Power of 1%", we call it. This idea of growing just 1% every time you do something, and you just add a little bit better, a little bit better, a little bit better, and then over a period of time, you see a whole lot of change.



Sandra: Okay, so you've been training for how many years now?



Martin: Just a couple.



Sandra: Just a couple of years. How many years is a couple?



Martin: 36 years.



Sandra: Okay, so 36 years. In 36 years, is there any examples that come to mind where you can see this in your journey of practicing, striving to be 1% better?



Martin: It's one of those things. I wouldn't say that I've ever been a fast learner. I pick things up quickly, but I wouldn't say I've at any one stage, I've progressed through the ranks very quickly. It's always been a fairly constant, steady path forward for me. With that in mind, I guess my whole journey has been about little by little, step by step, going that little bit further.



Sandra: That's great. I think one of the things that you're most famous for in our dojo is "You just gotta turn up."



Martin: You just keep turning up.



Sandra: You gotta keep turning up. You keep on saying to everybody. When you keep turning up, do you think of it in terms of, "I'm going to keep turning up, but do it better this time?"



Martin: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. That's the goal, that's the underlying thing. It's not just turn up and go through the motions and come back and do it all the same again. If you do it all the same again, you're going to end up in the same place in 10 years' time. In taking that small-- Even if it's the smallest step forward, whatever it