The Moment that Defines Victory or Regret: Collapse The Moment that Defines Victory or Regret: Collapse. In martial arts, collapse isn’t just physical, it’s psychological and strategic. It can be a stumble in the ring, a falter in resolve, or a tactical breakdown. When your opponent collapses, the window opens. [Read More]
The Know the Times – To Tread Down the Sword Know the Times Whether you’re sparring or in a negotiation, understanding the strategy that opposes you gives you the edge. Most martial artists train hard. They condition their bodies and work techniques. Many martial artists still enter combat reactively, not [Read More]
Crossing the Ford Musashi speaks to the idea that every person has a crossroads in life, if not more than one. Sometimes it is welcomed, other times it is refused. It is possibly unearned as well. Unearned Forbidden Knowledge A Blues music legend, Robert Johnson, disappeared for several days. No [Read More]
The Book of Fire – 3 Ways Musashi utilizes the Book of Fire to delve deeper into the concepts of timing and rhythm through various methods. Ken no Sen Tai No Sen Tai Tai No Sen Ken No Sen This is a blitzkrieg, a lightning war. Musashi emphasizes faster-than-normal footwork [Read More]
In the Book of Water – perception and awareness are emphasized The brain takes in information from the senses, sound, light, taste, touch, and smell, and arranges it into something we can use. A red bouncy ball in our front yard means the kids were playing with the ball in [Read More]
The Book of Water – Timing and Rhythm The book of Water – Timing and Rhythm. Overheard at a karate tournament. Instructor to his student moments before his fight. “I watched this guy’s earlier match; he bounced up and down. When he is in the air, he can’t move. Time [Read More]
The Book of Water and Spirit When Musashi is speaking from the Book of Water and Spirit, he is talking about your demeanor. Musashi makes a point to say that you should take the middle road. To avoid a reckless spirit or having too much tension in the body. This [Read More]
The Water Book – Two Swords Author and martial artist Kris, although owning a few swords and some shinai, knows little about swordplay. Lawrence Kane, also a martial artist and frequent co-author, has over a decade of European broadsword experience. To present us as experts in Musashi’s two-handed fighting system [Read More]
The Ground – Interconnection The Ground Book – interconnection, it builds a mosaic of ideas. Sometimes the lines blur, and other times they are reiterated. Additionally, we suggest that if you see redundancy, pay attention to the redundancy. The redundancy is not an accident. Moreover, the repetition of an idea [Read More]
The Ground – Seeing Musashi speaks to the necessity of observation. He addresses the surroundings and the opponent. Before the Battle Imagine Musashi standing on a small rising hill overlooking the soon-to-be battlefield. It is late spring, the field is green with new grasses. As his eyes narrow, he sees [Read More]
The Ground – Warrior Mind The Mind of a Warrior, Musashi addresses the idea of the warrior mindset in The Book of the Ground. I must admit I am uncomfortable talking about warriors. You may see it this way, the same way. I have had more than a few confrontations. [Read More]
The Ground – Two Swords The Ground – Two Swords. Musashi uses stances and positioning as metaphors, representations of your internal disposition. Physicals are generally easier to access and understand than internal, emotional ideas. A funny example from sports is the phrase, “He needs a helmet adjustment.” This means the [Read More]
Five Rings – At Which You Excel More from the first book, The Book of the Ground. This section is titled “At Which You Excel.” You will not find it listed in The Book of Five Rings as “At Which You Excel.” “At Which You Excel” is a broad title [Read More]
The Book of The Ground – Discipline and Focus Discipline, training, and focus are addressed in Miyamoto Musashi’s Book of Five Rings. He introduces these ideas in the first of the five books, The Book of The Ground. In Book of the Ground, Musashi points to mastery of oneself is [Read More]
The Book of The Ground Opening – The Book of The Ground. Miyamoto Musashi (宮本武蔵, c. 1584 – June 13, 1645) was a legendary Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer. He is often called a “sword saint“ because of his skill in swordsmanship. He wrote, “The Book of Five Rings. [Read More]
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