There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to humans. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of human fears and the summit of human knowledge. This is […]
Archive | Teacher Insights
Simple Keys to Guide Everyday Living
(A take on some thoughts from Dave Kovar) How would you breathe if you were totally calm and confident? Breathe like that. How would you walk if you were amazingly vibrant and healthy? Walk that way. What would your posture look like if you extremely alert and awake? Stand like that. What would you eat […]
Hard-Wired
Recently I took on a new life coach client. At our first meeting he got very emotional and asked me why he felt he was always struggling with a sense of negativity. He said he had looked into whether he was clinically depressed and felt that this was not the case. “I’m not really depressed […]
Secrets to Transforming Fear
What is the biggest enemy we face? It may be fear. Fear that you will not know the right thing to do in an emergency. Fear that an enemy might have more fierceness, more determination, more techniques, more toughness, and more experience than you. Fear that you will not live up to your own expectations […]
Doing Your Best
We are all trying to do our best. What does that really mean though? If we are not clear on what the definition of our “best” is, we are very likely to seriously reduce our ability to our best. If our perspective is not based on clarity and realistic expectations, we are setting ourselves up […]
Historical Ninja and their Secret Fighting Art
Some scholars have in the past ten years translated into English some of the ancient classic books of ninja reference. An-shu Rumiko and I never considered doing such translation work. One, I did not think there was a big enough book buying audience to justify the enormous amount of work it would have taken. Two, […]
Escaping for Balance
Students have been asking me what I am doing to keep myself sane during these crazy times. Many of them have told me that they are too stressed out to meditate. When they try to sit and do a simple shamatha meditation, placing all awareness on a single point of focus (usually sensation of air […]
3 Levels, 3 Tips
After 50+ years of teaching martial arts, some things stand out. Let’s take a look at 12 bare-bones gotta-do-it To-Shin Do skills as minimal requirements. In To-Shin Do Level 1 classes (White and Yellow Belts) as you practice the 12 fight scenarios and basic striking and ground-hitting skills, you have to constantly remember 3 things: […]
Relative Reality
“I’m no Einstein,” I said, “but I do know it’s all relative.” Someone had just asked me what my views on karma are. “Well, what does that mean?”, they replied. “Can you elaborate?” First we have to acknowledge that there are two views of so-called reality, I said. OK, now you’re starting to blow my […]
Focus Tug-Of-War
You’re focussed on your training partner and suddenly they throw a jab at your head, your eyes follow the punch in, your hands come up and make contact with the striking arm and for a moment your brain celebrates. Then you feel their other hand bash into you, you never saw it coming. What just […]
C.S.S.
New year, new beginnings. This is always a good time to apply one of my favorite life management models – Continue, Stop, Start. Perhaps especially so as the year of the rat suggests, the time is right for turning pages and embarking on new journeys. So the model is quite simple, that’s why it works […]
Consistent Tiny Steps Win the Day
“An ant on the move is more powerful than a dozing ox.” – Lao Tzu Even though we start from humble beginnings, we can rise to lead a extraordinary life. If little practices are repeated consistently over time, we can improve ourselves and advance in capabilities. We come to the dojo two or three times […]
Concepts, Principles, and Techniques
Something I will be emphasizing in seminars this year is the differentiation between concepts, principles, and technique instructions. If our students know the concept of good taijutsu and know the principle being taught, it may help them do their techniques more correctly. A CONCEPT is an overarching description that applies to everything we do. “Rely […]
Taijutsu Has No Gender
By Dennis Fuutoshi Mahoney on November 22, 2019 in Teacher Insights, Uncategorized, Warrior Philosophy
I have been quietly watching from the sidelines the much needed discussion about gender in the martial arts and in particular our martial art. Which is why I deferred to my friends Theresa Murphy and Amy Tiemann last month for their well written article. Up to this point I haven’t said much publicly about the […]
Why the 3-Part Student Creed?
When people come into our schools as white belts, they learn a three-part Student Code, or student creed, and promise to abide by it. We tell them right up front: “These are the three things you must remember whenever you’re doing anything dangerous, whether it’s a surf board, or a bungee jump, or martial arts […]
