The Transmutation of Knowledge

Friday Knight News

"From one thing, know ten thousand things." Miyamoto Musashi 


The ability to transfer knowledge from one subject to another requires at least a basic familiarity with one and a mastery of the other. If not mastery, then at least a level of professionalism that is able to stand up to scrutiny. Often you will find that the transmutation of knowledge occurs along the same lines of influence. In the martial arts I have found that many movements could be utilized in foreword or reverse. They were often able to gain in power or at least effectiveness by seeing them in this fashion. Years later, after my first seminar with Tony Annesi, sensei of Takeshin Sogo Budo fame, I found that I had just scratched the surface. Still, there are lessons we can learn from outside of the martial arts too.

Let's use kata and music as an example. In karate and jujutsu the kata is much different in the way it is taught, in length and in practice. Jujutsu kata is more in line with kenjutsu and other sword kata as they are shorter and most often paired with a partner. Still, this also works for this example, keep in mind that kata and music are also both concerned with timing or rhythm if you will. Generally speaking, kata teaches us movements that have been composed of paired drills practiced by old masters. Some new kata is made up on the spot and set to music and is more like jazz in nature. That can be addressed separately at a later date but it is not the message for this blog today.

Hanshi Bruce Juchnik (Sei Kosho Shorei Kai) and Hanshi Tony Annesi (Takeshin Sogo Budo)

These paired drills practiced by old masters were often run together like a group of riffs. All of these riffs put together made a song, of sorts. Whereas the riffs themselves are just a selection of notes that flow together, just like techniques. The cool thing is that like songs, kata also have hidden meanings that might not be apparent at first. Martial art principles teach us how to extract the hidden primary fighting applications from these movements. So that every movement is a kata and every movement is significant and has an application. Even a bow in a kata has martial art meaning.

The same can be said for other skills as well. It is easy to draw parallels with writing, art, and the like. As skill levels and precision become more refined, it is even more obvious the links between sniper skills and unarmed martial art training when it comes down to refinements like breathing and observation skills.



"To practice kata is not to memorize an order. Find the kata that work for you, understand them, digest them & stick with them for life." Gichin Funakoshi

If you are looking for an ongoing saga that spans the forefront of the struggles with the internal and external worlds? Please consider reading about the adventures of these martial art dream walkers. Thanks to all of my readers, your support means more than you know. Writing has always been a cathartic release for me. I am pleased to announce the release of the seventh book in the Dream Walker series. "Ruger Jackson: Xanderland" Dream Walker 7: After Xander and his friends flee into the unknown, we find Ruger Jackson showing some traces of being a dream walker. From childhood Ruger has been groomed and controlled but by whom and to what end? Will he discover who he really is and who it is that is seeking to dominate his life?

Dream Walker Books


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