Any time, Any place, Anywhere...

The Age of the Train

I think I'm experiencing withdrawal symptoms. It's been such a long time since my last training session that I actually feel guilty. "Forgive me Sensei for I have sinned. It's been four weeks since my last training-session."

One of the interesting features of my shiny new life in Dublin is that I am now a public transport commuter. It's great. No driving at all. Just me, a train, an MP3 Player and about 200 sweaty commuters. The train ride in and out of work takes about an hour. It takes about 20 minutes to walk at speed from the house to the train station and another 15 from the station to the office. It's great. I can't remember the last time I did so much walking. I had no idea how lazy I had become as a car driver.

Anyway, the point of all this, is the training time that's available to me on the train. That's right. On the train.

A Time to Heal

I have two small problems at the moment. One is finding the time to train and the other is finding the place. It's proving surprisingly difficult to find a location in Dublin. However, there is very much an up side to the wait. I am being forced to take the break from training that Charley has been recommending for months. Only a few days ago, my ankle finally popped back into place and I feel much stronger overall. Although I'm certain that my reaction times and general fitness levels are suffering, I'm sure this small pause is doing my body the world of good.

A Time to Plant

Kata is something that I've always enjoyed. "Modern" martial "artists" have been quick to dismiss the benefits of Kata and that's fine by me. However, I'm certain that my commitment to the benefits of Kata have seriously influenced my abilities as a martial artist. Strangely, the thing that I have missed most (in connection with training) since leaving Germany is having the space to practice Kata. And that's where the train comes in...

All that lovely time. A whole hour of uninterrupted thought. Wasted time or a time to plant? I've taken to playing classical tunes on the MP3 player, closing my eyes and visualizing kata. Sounds easy doesn't it?

Have you ever tried it? The focus it takes to perform a kata using only the minds eye is surprising. I began doing it purely as a memory aid. A method of ensuring that I don't lose to much during this break. What shocked me was just how difficult it was (to begin with) to focus on a whole kata, correctly paced, WITHOUT allowing the mind to wander. To perform a kata physically without 'thinking' about the next move is easy. Many call this "muscle memory". As soon as a technique is executed the body simply begins the next. It knows what to do. In fact, martial artists generally spend lots of time perfecting the art of NOT thinking about their kata.

Focus. That's the name of the game. Kata in the mind is not the same as Kata with the body. At first, performing even the simplest of kata is a surprisingly difficult task. However, one is quickly able to mentally perform strings of various kata, back to back, without pause. I like to think of it as planting mental seeds. Also, the time it takes to perform the kata mentally is the same as it would take to perform physically. Before you know it, one hour on the train just isn't enough.

A Time for Every Purpose

Trying to find just about any opportunity to train without training has become a little game for me. I'm certainly not the first to play it. Bruce Lee used to do the same thing. "Practice at every opportunity," he said. "When ordering a drink at the bar, try balancing on one leg. No one will see it."

Those trains can be rather busy. A seat isn't guaranteed and standing there for an hour, gripping a hand-hold for a white knuckled ride into town, isn't a rarity. This happened a few days ago. Bruce Lee's words popped into my head as I stood there, eyes closed, music playing in my ear, hands gripping onto the nearest support for dear life, my mind walking Kata. At first, I was a little annoyed at another lapse in concentration and focus. Every opportunity!

I released my grip on the hand support and continued to stand, eyes closed, with the train traveling at speed and my whole body being 'gently' nudged from side to side. Did I have the balance for it? Would I embarrass myself and fly headlong into a bunch of distressed passengers? Would I look like a prize idiot? Could I perform an exercise in balance and reaction (to the unpredictable movements of the train) whilst appearing to stand perfectly normally? I certainly couldn't (and wouldn't!) perform the exercise in any form of Karate stance!

Much to my own surprise, I pulled it off and managed to stay standing for the whole journey (without drawing any attention to myself). Any time, any place, anywhere.

Of course, I had to push it. Just before reaching my final destination I caught myself thinking, "maybe this isn't so difficult after all." That's when the train came to another of its sudden and grinding halts. Once again there was no warning, only this time my my mind had wandered...

You guessed it. I flew headlong into an unsuspecting seated passenger and learned another valuable lesson;

It is more difficult than you might expect. It isn't as easy as it looks. And, I have a habit of becoming over confident and paying the price in embarrassingly spectacular ways.

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