Uechi-Ryu.com

From: VAN CANNA
Date: 06 Sep 1998
Time: 20:38:24

Comments

COMMAND AND CONTROL
Prof. Steiner writes that in the continuing quest of mindset [ much like the golden fleece] , any individual ,about to face unavoidable violence , must be capable to project ' DOMINANCE ' of the situation about to unfold ! He warns that there are exceptions , and here it is the student's
responsibility to educate himself in tactics along with the physical and traditional precepts !

Example …. Steiner points out that , as a rule, if you are facing a deadly weapon threat, depending on the circumstances , good tactics call for initial submissive behavior to throw the assailant off guard to set up evasive counterattack !

' Command presence' is another component aspect of your defense mindset posture and it is not very easy for some people to incorporate in their budo demeanor as they lack natural force of personality , and, what is more insidious , they will argue the point while perched on their' mushin wall ' !
COMMAND PRESENCE starts at the kata level , and it is unmistakably communicated by
posture and carriage projecting a ' mean business' body language that says much about how he feels about himself and his own efficacy and resolve ! You usually see this in high dan ranks , such as Gary Khoury , Tracy Rose , Ray Bedard , and the many of our strong and adventurous tournament players !
Some people are endowed with natural ' force' , such as the persons enumerated above , but we can cultivate the seed by the right intensity of training , meaning you must bring a certain PASSION into your execution of physical/ emotional applications !
Steiner concludes that good military leaders and Quality martial arts teachers display '
command presence'!

A flip coin of 'command presence' manifestation ' is immediate all out preemptive attack under certain tactical demands to undermine the opponents perceived superiority !

"Punks want victims , not adversaries. Anyone possessing command presence automatically
projects the image and status of a possible adversary " [ Steiner] !

Remember that every time you step to a class you are teaching or to an opponent in free
sparring or real life [ business life as well ] you are sending subliminal messages about yourself which are been detected by the mind tentacles of the contender in your space ! HOW WILL YOU MEASURE UP ?
Van Canna

From: J. D. Morenski
Date: 13 Sep 1998
Time: 05:28:55

Comments

Van Canna-san,
Part of my love of the films I listed below deals with the actors' ability to convey a persona and elicit an emotion. Thus, Raphe Fiennes conveys it when he "pardons" the boy or has the architect shot for doing her job right. It conveyed the point of Goeth's evil; there were no rules you could use to defend yourself.

In The Hidden Fortress, Mifune (!) argues that the princess acts too much like a princess and the enemy will recognize her immediately.

Do I even have to mention The Usual Suspects? "I'm telling it to you straight, Agent Kuyan."

My point is that there is "acting" in confrontation. I am not a big "method" actor--what is my motive?--however, I think in kata we must "feel" and convey the intensity and calm. Similarly, as part of self-defence we must convey that we are not victims.

The "Uechi-Stare" you refered to some time ago is a good example of acting in self-defense. I do not wish to imply that I think this is "false" or "fooling" or "dishonest." On the contrary, just as the good villian the films has to convince you he is evil and attactive to his victims, we
have to convince the scum that they should look elsewhere.

As an example, sometimes it is best to act completely calm and unfazed by the swearing loon. He is confused seeing you in control.
How do we do this? Two quotes from Alfred "Good EEEeeevening! Hitchcock. Apparently after listening to a "method" actor continually ask about his "motive" he replied, "Your paycheck!"

Ingrid Bergman stated that the best advice she ever received on acting was during the filming of Notorius. I gather had a "love" or "romantic"-type scene which she complianed just did not feel right. Alfred commanded,
"Ingrid, fake it!"

Thus, when all else fails. . . .
--J.D.

From: Lori
Date: 11 Sep 1998
Time: 00:41:24

Comments

Van Canna Sensei,
A very informative and most excellent post. It beautifully describes a quality I try to get my students to cultivate in kata, and more recently, to practice as a part of developing a defensive mindset. Thank you for putting these ideas so eloquently so that I am able to better share them with my students.

The statement that "predators want victims, not adversaries," speaks volumes - given a statistic I ran across that out of the total reported attempted rape victims, 85% of those who fought back, were NOT raped. This has got to be one of the most important concepts brought up in a self-defense course. Of course, diverse situations and the introduction of weapons call for some
adjustments, but the "command presence" seems to be an effective tool at "avoiding" the whole conflict alltogether!

Perhaps a bit more difficult for a woman to cultivate, it should be a part of every female's education given that women are 10 times more likely than a male to be victimized by intimates.

Barring introduction into the school system, cultivation of a "command presence" deserves more than a passing nod as part of every karate student's training - especially women!
Thanks for a great post!
Peace, Lori