The Gift I Received from George Dillman

For some years before I met George Dillman, I had been trying to do interpretation of kata. I knew these movements must have some pragmatic and functional use, and that the practice of the old forms must hold deep value. I felt this for a logical reason (this practice couldn't have survived without a practical value), and for an emotional reason (I had invested lots of time in the study of kata). So, I was already looking at forms and doing bunkai (interpretation). Some of my bunkai were actually pretty good. But (and it was a big but) without having the understanding of pressure point fighting, I was lacking the tactical tools which insured that my bunkai actually would work.

So, I will be forever grateful to sensei Dillman for giving me that great gift. And yet, there is an even greater gift he gave me. He gave me permission – permission to stop doing what doesn't work, no matter who told me to do it in the first place.

Because martial arts are taught in very hierarchical environments, we become accustomed to being humble disciples who submit ourselves blindly to our masters' instructions. We become true believers, adherents, assuming, but never confirming, that our teachers are wise and correct in all things.

Because of this fact, when I first started doing bunkai, I was also doing all the useless things I had been taught. If I was told a move was for blocking some certain attack (even if that was clearly a horrible explanation), I practiced it that way, while I tried to find other meanings. And, if I found a better interpretation, I kept on practicing whatever I had been previously taught – adding a better interpretation to a growing repetoire, rather than replacing a useless interpretation entirely. It was exhausting to devote precious time to useless practice, and try to hold a justification for those practices in my brain.

Now, thanks to the permission I received from sensei Dillman, I only do what works. And I take that principle to an extreme. I want to do techniques that any green belt could do, techniques that follow pressure point theory exactly, techniques that still work pretty well even if I screw up and miss every pressure point I am aiming for. I refer to this concept as "ordinary skill, extraordinary results." (Obviously, in a blog, I can only name this concept. But, if you want to get a fuller idea of what I mean, check out my double impact dvd.)

If I can, I want to give you permission as well. I give you permission to stop doing what doesn't work. I give you permission to stop doing what your teacher taught you, if it doesn't work (and if it works for him, he has permission to continue doing it). I give you permission to stop doing what doesn't work even if the founder of the system taught it. I give you permission to stop doing what doesn't work, and spend all your time on what truly does work.

You have permission,
now, go train.

Chris Thomas

Helping the Homeless

I am not a martial arts school owner, and martial arts is not my primary profession. I am a member of the clergy and the pastor of a church. As part of my professional life, I serve on the board of a homeless shelter. Our shelter is 2 years old. It is currently only set up as a 30 day rescue shelter for women and families. This has two implications. The first is that men are rarely able to stay at the shelter. The second problem is that 30 days is rarely enough time for someone to move from homelessness to housing.

As a result, my church is looking at purchasing an old motel. Then, we hope to remodel it, move the homeless shelter into the motel, so the shelter can expand services in order to provide both emergency rescue shelter and two year transitional living. Now, this all costs money. I am hoping we will be able to buy the motel for a mere $50,000 (which would be 20 cents on the dollar). But, first, we have to raise the $50k. So, I am taking a first personal step. During this summer, I will be selling copies of my newest book, "Effortless Self-Defense for Women" (written with Kimberly Foreman Dillman) and teaching seminars with all the tuition going to work to help the homeless.

The first of these seminars is scheduled for Friday, June 26, in the Milwaukee, WI, area. (View PDF @ Scribd) I hope to hold a seminar on weapons in the Madison, WI area in July. I will let you know about more seminars as they come up.

Of course, if you just want to donate, I'd be happy to take your money. Just write your check to PUMC, and designate it in the memo section as "House of Grace". Then, mail it to Portage UM Church, att. Pastor, 1804 New Pinery Rd., Portage, WI, 53901.

I hope you get a chance to either help me in my efforts, or to do something yourselves to help in your communities.

Thanks a lot, now, go train,

Chris Thomas

I Can't Believe I'm Entering the 21st Century

Me, blogging! I can't believe I'm entering the 21st century. People who know me, know that I am notoriously lax in using that 1980's technology, email. My wife is the one who has the texting component of the phone contract. And twitter and IM are completely strange and mysterious to me.

Makes sense if you know me as a martial artist. I am a practitioner of "old school arts." I use the traditional styles in their intended ways. In fact, I am even more old fashioned than a traditionalist – I am a classicalist. The traditional martial artist is seeking to mimic the founder's method. The classical martial artist is trying to live in the purpose of the art. A movement passed on from some long-dead founder was passed on because it was useful and effective. I seek to understand and practice that useful and effective method. If I am modern in any way, it is that I recognize that those old movements and concepts must be equally applicable to contemporary situations – either by direct analogy, or by transferable principle.

I should also mention that, because I am a classical martial artists, I am also a heretic. I constantly challenge and discredit the way many people have been taught. "That's wrong, because..." is a common part of my vocabulary. I am not promising that I will be all controversial here. But, I do promise that whatever I say will be my most honest understanding of the martial arts. I can show why I do what I do, and if you can give me a better explanation for something, or a better way to do something, or a better solution to some problem, I'll steal it and start teaching that.

So, here's to the 21st century, and the possibility of modern technology serving the values of the classical martial arts.

Ok, now, go train.

Chris Thomas