Sensei Lorenzo Aguon, Shihan

Downtown Karate Dojo, Honolulu, Hawaii
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"Continually use your eyes to scan your surroundings" GAN

From the book by Musashi..."A Book Of Five Rings"...Musashi states:

"Perception is strong and sight is week. Do Not roll your eyes or allow them to blink but slightly narrow them. It is necessary to look to both sides without moving the eyeballs. Do Not fix the eyes on the face, hands, or feet. See naturally. In single combat, you must not fix the eyes on detail. In strategy, fixing the eyes means gazing at the man's heart."

A great and fun exercise to practice as I do when walking in a mall or crowded area is to use your eyes to scan everyone around you. Use your eyes to see people sitting on chairs, kids playing, elderly people walking by, couples holding hands, sales people behind counters, maintenance workers, etc. Then, imagine at any given time, that individual may spring out and attack. Again, the eyes are constantly scanning...making your body feel that it can be "ready for anything". It's a fun exercise to practice.

One great thing to make sure we all do this week in our dojos is have everyone practice "walking the gauntlet". Let's use our eyes!

Domo Arigato,
Sensei Lorenzo Aguon
Downtown Karate Dojo