Ritual

[Kacey]

Do you have a ritual you follow when you prepare for training? A sequence you follow every time? A mindset you enter?

For myself, once I put on my dobok, I can feel my mindset shifting, putting away the concerns and issues of the day, preparing for the concentration necessary for training. The meditation at the start of class completes this mental shift, giving me a specific time and method of setting aside the day so I can concentrate.

Others?

 

[FearlessFreep]

Nope.

To me it's a skillset to have at my fingertips, like driving or music. For it to be practical it must be available on demand regardless of context.

Which is why I do MA in the dojang on the mat, but also in my house in jeans on the carpet or tile, and sometimes tennis shoes or sandals. Sometimes I set aside time to do it; sometimes I'll be thinking about a technique and just *bam* give it a shot if I have room. That applies mentally as well; I must be able to do it or I can't do it

 

[Drac]

No ritual persay...Once I step on the floor its time to train...

 

[newGuy12]

Do you have a ritual you follow when you prepare for training? A sequence you follow every time? A mindset you enter?

For myself, once I put on my dobok, I can feel my mindset shifting, putting away the concerns and issues of the day, preparing for the concentration necessary for training. The meditation at the start of class completes this mental shift, giving me a specific time and method of setting aside the day so I can concentrate.

Others?

Absolutely. Like you, once the dobok is on, then its on.

I arrive right when the second to last class starts (I go straight from work), but I exercise alone at the back of the Dojang, and then take the last class, because it takes a while for this old man to get warmed up, hahaha!

Now, I start with the joint rotations, and I proceed through my own brand of "Elastic Steel", tweaked with my own modifications. If during the class that I don't participate in, the SabumNeem asks for me to hold a target, I will. Otherwise, I just do my routine.

Then again, I have some specific areas that I am working on right now. In short, flexibility AS WELL AS strength at the high kick range. I wish for my legs to be strong as well as flexible --> holding out the kicks, and doing circles and so on!

 

[Xue Sheng]

Sorry no, I have no ritual.

Unless you count getting up in the morning as a ritual.

 

[CuongNhuka]

I do, I bow. Not what you meant? Ohh, well, I do have some rituals anyways...

Before I spar, well, I almost Ong Bak going to my guard. You know, he rolls his arms in a circle when he goes to that low guard? Well, I do the same thing, but go into a modified Man Sao Wu Sao guard (out of Wing Chun). I do this while Kiai-ing.

As for Marksmanship (the other Martial Art I do, olympic style pellit rifle/pistol), I raise the gun so that the barrel is straight up (pistol or rifle). I inhale and roll my shoulders forward, exhale and roll forward. Take a deep breath and raise the barrel, and lower it as I slowly exhale, until the muzzel is aligned, and then get a sight picture and fire.

 

[searcher]

Put on Gi/Dobok(depends on what I am training), go through forms and basics for pre-class warm-up, work hard, and go home.

 

[still learning]

Hello, NOT sure why? ..I will take a shower FIRST..AND ALWAYS(first ritual ).. then put the Gi on....NO belt..

.....Arrive just after the kids class gets start (2nd ritual) ...to help with the kids classes...(rarely before they get started)...

We have to kneel down to put our belts on....after the belt is tied? .(.3rd ritual) Meditate in the kneeling position for a few minutes to prepare the mind for training.....I am the only one in whole system to do this...maybe came from training in other arts? ....NOT sure...

4th Ritual....just as the adult class gets started or after our "prayers"....I would share a story (recent ones or past ones) sharing lessons from other people who sets great examples of success or achievements....
( stories to inspired the adults...mostly high school kids)...

My Instuctor and I do not only teach self-defense...We share our life stories to develop the whole person.....learning to live with others..about how to work...and so ....MAINLY "how to get along in this world"...and to be a good honest person...

Aloha (rituals....helps you be a excellant role model)

PS: smoking is not a ritual...just a bad habit...so is drinking too much...
Have to admitted...too much diet sodas for me!

 

[Jai]

The only real ritual I ever do is when I break. Aside from that my state of mind remains the same on and off the work out floor.

 

[LawDog]

Everything within yourself that you acquired from the outside must be left outside.

 

[tshadowchaser]

No ritual here.
About the only time I wear a rank belt is for testing of students , other than that no I just step on the floor and begin

 

[Adept]

Only the same ritual I have every time I leave the house.

Pat my pockets and check for my;

Wallet
Keys
Phone
Smokes
Lighter.

 

[Jai]

No ritual here.
About the only time I wear a rank belt is for testing of students , other than that no I just step on the floor and begin

I did that for many years as well. BB instructors where allowed to wear wind pants and a matching jacket. I did that year round aside from testings or other special events. Saved a ton of wear on everything.

 

[Cirdan]

Depending on how I feel that day, I sometims meditate (mokuso) before class to clear my mind. Occationally also after class but less often.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

In IRT I teach what I have termed Personal Power Growth™ and Ritualization™! (I have a seminar coming up next year

) Having this ritualization as part of your skill set does not mean that you are not ready or that you must do something to prepare before you defend youself. (that would not be good) What it does explain is that we are creatures of ritual. (one only needs to looks at your own behavior to figure that out or other peoples ie. Church, Sports Enthusiasts, etc.) We as a species gain strength from doing things repetitively and even more through a ritual. (people do ritualistic things and not even know it at times) Ritualization is just one more way to connect with yourself and enter into the Instinctive Reponse, void, Mushin, zone or whatever you want to call it.

Also I am working on a book right now regarding Instinctive Response Training's Personal Power Growth™ and Ritualization™!

 

[tellner]

Musashi said that one should strive to "make your fighting stance your everyday stance and your everyday stance your fighting stance." Ideally there should be no separation. If you live in Code Yellow you are ready and relaxed and prepared for what might happen.

If you're a wildebeest or cat or a special operations soldier or a street criminal in Johannesburg or an Apache kid two hundred years ago you're already there. If you're not you need to go through a few stages first.

First, there has to be some context or setting in which you can learn. There are physical prerequisites, the presence of a teacher, the banishing of distractions so that you can learn and so on.

If your teacher is any good you will learn to access different states of awareness and consciousness. I don't want to get too woo-woo about this. It applies to everything from writing code or sex to cooking or dancing. To successfully perform an activity the mind must bring to the front the skills, tools and awareness that are appropriate to the task. Once they are developed and you can enter the "flow state" it becomes a matter of doing so seamlessly and quickly.

This is where ritual is a useful thing. Until you reach a certain level of casual competence you need a trigger which you have learned to associate with exercising those abilities. It can be as simple as a slight tug to free the pants leg or an elaborate production involving a Sacred Space, special clothes, ritualized motions, recital of a creed, invocations to the spirits and speaking a special Sacred Language.

If the ritual helps you evoke the correct state it's useful. If it becomes an end in itself or takes on more significance it can quickly become a fetish - harmless in itself but potentially counterproductive. If one never gets to the point where the skills are an unremarkable part of everyday consciousness the whole exercise has been futile in a "finger pointing at the moon" way.

Do I have a ritual before personal training or class? I suppose so. When I'm alone I shoo the dogs out of the room, take a moment to think about what I'm going to do and do that tug at the pants I mentioned earlier. In class there are ritual words "Let's start class." They are followed by a gathering in a circle and performing a brief salutation. Then the teacher says "...jurus" which is the signal to start the class the way we always do - practicing basics.