2018-06-23
五分鐘的話，用講的，很快，用打字的，很慢，翻譯的話，更慢！
For Colin, Rob and anyone who is interested in this conversation in Mandarine between me and some students in June 2015.
The conversation started from one student asked me whether he was well-prepared for the "ippon" at the end of our ji-geiko.
My main point was to emphasise that we need to have more "engagement" or"ai-ki" (synchronisation) in ji-geoko. These are nothing new but all based on the teaching from Sensei such as Inoue Hanshi, Morioka Sensei and my sensei in Taiwan long time ago.
In my attempt of trying to explain this idea, I used some personal experience such as "locked by Sensei and seeing how Sensei kills me", one Ted Talk I shared with them before, and lastly, a common Korean drama theme presenting romantic relationship.
I will try to translate (or sometimes just a summary because of repeating words) the conversation below. If there is any thing that can help my English writing or expression, please kindly let me know. (Thank you in advance.)
* * *
0.00
問：最後那一隻是否我還沒有準備好？
Ask: Was I not well-prepared for that ippon?
答：可能你沒有跟我一起互動，不過也是有啦！重點是，你們跟每個人在對打時，都要有那份「感覺」（kimochi，気持ち），不然很快就做完了。慢慢地，培養那個感覺，讓對手「上鉤」（hook），我想打你 ... 又覺得打不到 ...
Sam: I felt you might not interact with me, or probably you did. However, the point is whoever our opponent is, we all need to have "that feeling - kimochi". Otherwise, we will quickly finish the job only. We should take it slowly, let the feeling grows, hook your opponent ... feeling that I want to strike now ... but also hesitate whether I can make it or not ... ...
問：可是我很怕那個時候，就被你切進來打去！
Ask: But I worried that at tat moment, you would just seme-in and "kill me"!
答：對！現在的情形時，你們可能覺得我比你們強，所以心態上會以「不被打到」為原則。
Sam: Right! for now, you might feel I am I am stronger than you, so your strategy or psychology might be just aiming "not been struck".
問：沒有錯，我就是覺得，我如果跟你做太多「seme 的動作」，就會不知不覺受你牽引，就像我們最後那隻一本，我覺得，就是我「seme 做太多了」，所以最後就被你打去了，所以我才會改成，在我覺得我「seme 差不多了」的時候，我就想出手了！
Ask: True, I thought, if I did "too much seme" with you, I would gradually lose myself and be hooked by you. Just like our ippon today. It was the perfect example. So, now, my strategy became when I felt "my seme is about enough", I would strike.
答：所以我現在的問題是：『你被我打到，有什麼損失？』
Sam: Great! so now my question is: if I score on you, what lost would you have?
問：沒有啊！
Ask: None!
答：『那你有學到什麼？』
Sam: Would you learn something from there?
問：就覺得自己的「seme 不夠強」。
Ask: I would feel that "my seme is not strong enough".
答：『那麼，你隨便亂打，我打不到你，然後打完之後，你又學到了什麼？』
Sam: Well, if you just randomly struck on me and made me cannot score on you, what else would you learn?
問：（無語 ．．．）
Ask: ... ... (no word replied)
另一位同學接口道：老師打不到我！（眾笑）
However, another student joked that "sensei cannot hit me". (that made everyone laugh.)
1.05
答：你們記得我以前分享過一段 Ted Talk，內容大意是問：我們想要怎樣的人生？是想要「發光發熱」，還是「差不多就好」？
Sam: Remember a Ted Talk that I shared with you before. It talks about what we really want from our life. Whether we want live fully with passion, or we just want to have a "so-so" life?
問：可是，我也沒有在亂打 ... ...
Ask: But, I did not strike randomly ... ...
答：對 ... 我不是說你在亂打 ... ... 我該怎麼比喻比較好？你沒有亂打，我們沒有在「亂打」，我們都很努力在對打，但是，我希望在我們的對打之中，可以多一點「engage」（中文或可說是「決戰」的感覺）。
Sam: Agree ... I am not judging that you did not pay attention and strike randomly ... how can I express myself better?
Well, you did not strike randomly, we did not strike randomly, we were all fighting with focus and fighting hard. However, I hope that we can more "serious engagement" in our keiko.
問：如果純以「seme 攻」而論，雖然我也很佩服那種高手之間，單純以 seme 就能決勝負，但是我覺得自己的程度不夠，「seme 做太多」的話，自己反而會被克制住。
Ask: Regarding "SEME". Although I also admire those high level Kendoka who can only apply seme to defeat their opponents, I don't think my level is that high yet. On the contrary, when I apply "too much seme", I would just make meslef lost and lose the game.
2.00
答：我回憶，以前，我和先生對打的時候，我會覺得『誒，先生現在把我 lock 住了』，『我被 lock 住』，然後，我就看著他打死我。那感覺其實很好！
Sam: I remember, when I was younger, when I had keiko with my sensei, I often could feel that "I was locked by sensei", sensei froze me and made me clearly witness "how he killed me". This is actually a great feeling!
我怎麼會被鎖住呢？（問：就是會有這種感覺）
我怎麼會被鎖住呢？？？
所幸，現在能鎖住我的人愈來愈少了 ... ...
How could I be locked? (Ask: yes, it is this feeling!)
How could I be frozen???
Fortunately, less and less people can "lock" me now ... ...
不過，還是有很多人可以鎖住我，譬如遇到六、七、八那種高段先生，他們還是能把我鎖住，就在那一瞬間，我就是「動彈不得」，然後就被打死。而我一直在體會那一瞬間 ... ... 這已經不是成敗的問題了，我們常說的「不以成敗論英雄」就是這個道理，你有否學到什麼東西才是重點。
However, there are still many people can lock me. For example, you have seen when some 6th, 7th or 8th Dan Sensei visited us, they can lock me (freeze me) and the get the ippon against me. I actually appreciate that "frozen moment" very much ... ...
It is not a matter about who wins or who loses. In Mandarin, we have a saying that "a person should not be deemed a hero merely on the basis of the success or failure of his endeavours" and this is what that means. Whether you have learned something from that ippon is the main point.
問：所以說，我應該享受那個「死亡的瞬間」？（眾笑）
即使我覺得我已經「快要死了」，我還是要繼續 seme 下去嗎？
Ask: So, do you mean that I need to enjoy the "dying moment"? (Everyone was laughing.) Do I need to continue seme, even when I feel I am going to be killed soon?
2.50
答：對，雖說要去享受那個「死亡的瞬間」，但還是要「盡力求活」，而不是「害怕死亡」。有光就有影，你不可能只要吃甜的，而不要吃苦的。我們都是嚐過苦的滋味，才了解到甜是什麼滋味。對吧？不然，你不知道那個「被鎖住」的感覺，你怎麼學得會如何去鎖住別人呢？
Sam: Yes and no, while we need to enjoy that "dying moment", we still need to "strive to survive". But this doesn't mean we are afraid of death. Shadow is a companion light. We cannot just want to enjoy the "sweet" but not the ”bitter" tastes. The taste of bitter will help us appreciate/understand the taste of sweet more. Agree? Otherwise, if you have never had the "been frozen" experience, how you could learn how to freeze others?
問：對，剛剛最後那一瞬間，我就是覺得我的劍已經抬不起來了，然後就是「蹦」一聲！
Ask: Yes, at the last moment, I just felt I could not raise my shinai, then "BENG!" ...
3.20
答：就我而言，那就是我想練習與追求的「美好瞬間」！在抓那個感覺，至於其它那些亂七八糟的打擊，不論是打到或被打到，並不是那麼重要 ... ...
Sam: To me, that was the "beautiful moment" I hope to pursuit in keiko! I hope to catch that feeling. Comparing with that feeling, whether I am struck by the opponent becomes a minor issue.
3.30
問：所以說，如果我在時機成熟之前就出手，就會讓您沒練到嗎？
Ask: Do you mean if I strike before the opportunity matures, it will impede your training?
答：也不是說你要讓我練到，而是我們雙方都要練到，我們雙方都要去抓那個感覺：『我現在可以打嗎？』
Sam: I don't mean you need to consider only my training but OUR training. We all need to try to pursuit that feeling: is it now the timing to strike?
不過，你也不用太擔心，有時「太早出手」，沒打到，就學會下次要「晚一點」，下次變成「太晚出手」而被打去時，就知道「要再早一點」。這就是在「練習」！
However, you don't need to worry too much. Just have some reflection after each strike (zanshi might be a good time for this reflection). If you think you strike "too early" and miss out the opportunity, then try to have "more tame" next time. If you think you strike "too late" this time, then try to strike earlier next time. This is "keiko"!
打到或被打到，有什麼用？有獎盃嗎？有記錄嗎？甚至沒有人錄影存證，對吧？我下禮拜就不記得我打到誰，誰打到我了！你還會記得嗎？我們都不會記得的，對吧？
Is there any consequence of been struck or not? Would you get a trophy? Would someone keep the record? There was even no one videoing it, right? Next week, I won't remember who hit me or I hit whom today! Will you remember that? We will all forget these, won't we?
4.05
（某學生插嘴道：我會記得我有打到老師！）
(The photo bombing student said: I will remember that I hit Sensei! )
所以在那個當下，我們就是要去抓那個感覺，去感覺對手是面要來，還是小手要來，我該怎麼辦？去抓那個感覺，然後出手，有打到，很好，沒打到，再來，就和打遊戲（game）那個「過關」的感覺一樣！沒過關，就 reset，回到中段，一二一二，再來一次！每次都一樣！
Therefore, during keiko, we all need to pursuit that feeling, trying to feel whether it is Men or Kote coming, and what I should do to deal with that. Try to get that feeling (ai-ki) and then strike! If you could successfully hit, that is great. If you could not hit successfully, then try to have a better one next time. Just like video-gaming, if you can pass to next level, enjoy the moment and welcome the new challenge. If you cannot pass to next level this time, reset the game, back to kamae, one-two, one-two, and try it again. Every keiko is the same!
4.30
可是，如果你沒有去 look for（追求）那個瞬間的話，「那個瞬間」永遠不會發生！
However, you don't try to look for that moment, that moment will never come!
就好像你隨便在街上看到一個女的，你就把她娶回家，那你就不懂什麼叫真愛！你要去失戀（捶心肝），去被拋棄（再捶心肝），然後終於找到那個真愛，這樣懂嗎？
Just like if you married to a girl randomly met in street, then you will never understand what "true love" means! You need to "lost love" (hammering my heart) or "been dumped" (hammering my heart again), and then finally find the true love, do you understand me?
也未必會這麼悲慘啦！你可能一出手就打到了（一出門就遇到真愛）！我想說的意思是說：我們都要去追求那個瞬間（look for that moment）！
However, the story might not be all that miserable. You might get the Ippon in you first attempt (meet the true love when you just open the door)! My main point is that we all need to look for that moment!
就像韓劇裡的愛情戲，在曖昧時期，猶豫很多，真的？假的？有沒有？可以演到十六集！
Just like the romance in the Korean Drama, before the relationship is settled, during the ambiguous and indefinite stage, there are a lot of hesitation, mistakes, true or false, right? And the drama can easily play for 16 episodes!
5.00
問：不是用麻布袋一套就解決了 ... ...
Ask: So, we cannot randomly kidnap a girl ... ...
答：你怎知道那位就是你的「真愛」？就是在那個推拉之間、 有來有往，嘗過各種滋味，這個人是否可信任？我是否喜歡他／她，誤會與冰釋等等。我們的劍道也是一樣，你要去體會那個感覺！
Sam: How do we know s/he is our "true love"? It is the process of "pushing and pulling", "coming and going", all sorts of the tastes ... Is s/he the person who I can trust? Do I really like him or her? Misunderstanding and vanishing that, etceteras. Our Kendo is the same. You need to experience that feeling!
5.30
剛剛說的是「互動」的部分，我相信我們打劍打了這麼久，自己有什麼缺點應該都很清楚吧？右手太多、左手太少等等，所以，我們在打基本動作的時候，要把注意力放在自己的身上，努力去修正自己的動作 ... ...
We were talking about the "interaction". However, after training in Kendo for such a long time, I believe that we all know our own bad habits quite well such as too much right hand or too little left hand etc. So, it is important that you need focus on your own movement when we are doing Kihon keiko (uchikomi-geiko), trying your best to improve your won movement or posture ... ...
14 June 2016
約一年前，在道館練習結束後，有一位台灣同學來問我問題，說著說著，我還不知到有學生在錄影，然後，一年之後的今天，我才被告知有這段影片。
還沒聽過我「談情說愛」的劍友，如果有五分鐘的空閒，就點進來聽一下吧！