Empty Hand - Empty Mind

Empty hand-Empty mind. At first one may think, what power does an empty hand have as compared to a hand with a weapon. We know the power of Karate-empty hand and all its manifestations and implementations. What power does an empty mind have? In combat it is crucial to act without thought. Repetition of memorized movements without thought for meaning is a most important principal of combat and training. This week I suggest practice by 'rote' in celebration of the upcoming tests. Practice without thought, each kata, every move and every technique. Be confident in yourself. The people testing and those not testing will benefit by this type of training experience. All the concepts and theories of self-defense described in "Building Warrior Spirit" relate to this concept of "no-thought". A quote from Miyamoto Musashi.."You must constantly practice all of your techniques until they become second nature. Once they are part of your nature you can cease to think about them" The concepts are intuitive, not conscious. "Just do it"! Arigato, Kyoshi Robert Scaglione.