Wrestling a match

Place the emphasis on the word ”wrestling”. On Saturday 15.11.2014 I stepped in the ring to face a promising newcomer Jami Aalto. Due to the opponent’s Greco-Roman background it was the kind of match I had been waiting for, an opportunity to challenge both my skills as an old school wrestler and the audience’s perception. I expected Aalto’s athletic ability to be on a level better than average, whereas I had the experience and my hybrid style. It would be too much to say that Aalto never had a chance, but remains the fact that probabilities were on my side.

It was obvious from the start that we had an extra gear. Even finding a way to get the first hold was a competition, which Aalto actually won by having me in a waist lock as I tried to manipulate his arm and pull him sideways, a trick most typical in his original game. Knowing that he would go for a suplex I immediately hit the mat, defending until he had to change his plan and we got up; that was when I threw in some Muay Thai-type of techniques. The upper hand was soon mine so it was time to calm down and wait for Aalto to make a mistake.

It was easy to lure him into a half-hatch after which I would take him down and put him in a position he surely hadn’t been during his amateur career. Still, it was too early to have him pinned so I decided to take things a bit further – I wouldn’t call that a mistake from my behalf, but Aalto certainly proved his agility and quickness by countering some of my moves while standing up, so I wisely retreated to break the spearhead of his attack, making it somewhat of a mind game.

Back to the groundwork we went, and to take away Aalto’s speed I started working the legs. He soon had no other way to go but to try to get on his feet, by which he practically offered me a chance to put him in a sleeper hold. This didn’t end the match but clearly led to the final phase which did. There was still enough fight left in him for one more plunge: a series of moves you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a rookie, then again it definetely wasn’t his first match to begin with. Being mentally stronger of the two I was capable of standing the charge and driving him down once again to apply the ultimate hold in wrestling. When the bell rang the power of the Constrictor had been proven as usual, despite of Aalto’s resistance and him being undeniably an exception among the people I have previously battled in the ring.

There’s an element in pro wrestling that brings it closer to real fighting than most forms of combat sport: that is the grey area. The reality of the match is that the wrestler can bend the rules, which I do, not to let them limit one’s doings but rather to use them as a tool to destroy the opponent’s endeavours. For example, a rope break doesn’t indeed have to happen immediately; it is the referee’s count that tells you when to let go. So you have time to make your move. Even if the wrestler chooses to release the hold he may still take the opportunity and deliver a blow with a possible effect to the outcome of the bout. Think ahead, set traps and make it difficult for the opponent to succeed in any of his attempts – create several paths for yourself to follow and finally overcome.

Saturday’s match was something that isn’t normally seen in any wrestling show because of the tactics, because of the grappling aspect of it and because of the competitive approach of both men. Those things were also the reasons why the audience would still react as expected. It was the spirit of the duel that made it a fight to behold, reminding everyone which way to go as long as we keep claiming that pro wrestling is the very arena where modern day gladiators meet. The main difference to Rome then must be that I have no Caesar to hail. I’m there for myself, my own master - only the arms of Mercury surround me.

The unstoppable blow

The night sky is dark because it’s an endless abyss. What is most often admired as beauty in it, is nothing but a colouring made by sunshine, the sun itself being just a spark flashing for a tiny moment in the cosmic blackness. The blue cover hides the true nature of what surrounds us, and by this mask protection is provided to those who are in need of such. As we let darkness look into us our vision grows deeper until our eyes can look back in time into the blackest night of all.

The opposite of things ostensible is of course what's essential, which also rules over its partner. The two can be put together though, not by driving them towards one another on a straight line but by a detour of personal experience. In cases where learning would otherwise become difficult, we choose to try creating some scenery by visualization to help the brain, or sometimes the whole body, receive instruments of understanding the matter. In other words we are using imaginary training.

Let us think that we’re to hit an object with an iron bar using as much force as possible. If we’re already scared, despairing or under any kind of pressure in the situation, we tend to tense our muscles to the limit; the stress of one’s mind thus becomes that of the body which, with all its movement been turned compulsive, begins to fight itself. The blow then, despite of its energy or the qualities of the bar making it destructive, would be one lacking spirit. If the body is set free instead by relaxation it will literally let the move happen, not to mention what happens when individual techniques must follow each other with the circumstances constantly chancing (“flow”).

An agricultural tool called flail has also been used as a weapon in history. A hammer-like section attached to an ordinary staff with a very simple mechanism can be swung in a way extremely dangerous by a skilled fighter. Speaking of unarmed combat we might say to clarify the idea that the forearm and fist are to be the outer part to swing freely with the movement of the upper arm directing this energy. Taking the next step from this point would mean the whole arm being used as the hammer, the shoulder-line being the staff-section of the flail, the body being the hand that swings it etc. The same principle of keeping it elastic can be applied when one is using a stick or a sword, them being intertwined with the body via the hands. The weapon is then moved in a “lively” manner as the body also moves along the similar way with the swaying of the weapon.

From the flail was developed an instrument of battering even more fearsome, the Kettenmorgenstern. What if we imagine that the fist is an iron ball, the forearm is a chain and the upper arm is a staff those are swung with. The penetrating energy is increased for as the tool becomes “heavier” the body will have to move in a way more explosive in order to perform the strike like it should, so the movement will be more relaxed, very loose indeed.  This is where momentum grows out of; the strike will come even more steadfast and the hand will not only hit the surface of the target (to prevent the impact from affecting itself) but just go on with full force. The blow is to be directed towards the opponent’s spine, we must go for breaking the posture and unbalancing, and also remember psychological damage to be done.

Let us dive on deeper into the magic of the mind: the iron ball this time is placed inside the thick part of the forearm. It is attached to the shoulder with a strong metal chain that is the upper arm, the fist being but the tip of the aura of the hammer. By the feeling of this immaterial nature the hand will have no inhibition when striking, so instead of just giving a slap the fist will have an intention to go through, proceeding many inches to where the actual body of the target would be. This, if anything, is the Empty hand in practice, of – as Funakoshi expressed the idea – the hand of Emptiness.

Pursuing the results we start with the physical, travel through metaphysics and finally enter the reality of undeniable facts. Devastating blows do not emerge from trying but from executing.

In case the opponent reacts to what we’re doing (which will inevitably happen), it may lead to situations most undesirable, yet the flail-like body of the fighter, being loose enough, can still be kept moving on to the right direction even with the circumstances changing all the time; thus it is possible to maintain the attack. When advanced one will be able to expand the use of the method to all moving, breathing included, and eventually it will be one’s mind that’ll work as the Kettenmorgenstern, directing its force without any limitations.

Biomechanics form a tool we are to utilize just as anything. Even in a combat most intense the arm must not be frozen with the tension, nor must the fist be clenched any harder than a ball of iron is clenching itself. As the power comes from the centre the wave of it will move on to the outer limits, just like what is done when a dragon lashes with its tail.

Into the Safira

The competition to have status in modern day society, when seen objectively, is as unfortunate as it is desperate: a never-ending treadmill where all is but superficial. Most people do search for importance, admiration, willing to rise above what would be regarded as average, and what might be the artifice? Think of politics for example; the leaders, the ones to decide – what used to be taking care of matters for the common good has become a mere game of seeking control over others by any means necessary, running over those who are weak and stabbing the strong ones in the back soon as there is a chance to do so. Honesty and responsibility could not mean less before the eyes of the people these ringmasters should indeed be working for in the first place… It is certainly a sad hunt for so-called significance.

The measure of man, male that is, used to be his capability as a hunter to feed the community, as a fighter in order to protect and later as a labourer whose toughness was the guarantee of keeping the family unit safe. The male role today, competitively, seems to be that of a lover – so the man’s been reduced into a politician in that sense; his job being vamping or at least having the skills to do so, a hunter of not votes but affection, as in both cases of play-acting winning is based on treachery: adapting whatever ostensible qualities which would suit the situation at hand.

Men are divided into groups defined by the level of skill, with labels put on those: “alpha,” “beta” etc. Many would say it’s an evolutionary truth, a fact not for one to override, but the question to be asked is “what prize is worth the (self)deception?” The greatest human weakness is the will to be strong, which really offers the key to dominate the person. I choose to step away from the line I would be placed upon and go beyond the alphabet; not accepting the servitude as a puppet for anything, free of strings I can go where I will and do as I please. The next time you expect me to be obligated, make sure you ask my opinion before writing a book on biology.

Alpha-male may be the leader of the pack, but Wise Man is the elder of the tribe. The Zero is a circle complete, the eternal ideal that holds the power and knowledge within itself. Yet the shaman is enabled to even wield the energies of the Sacred Feminine – by becoming it. Cold is my womb, it is darkness I gather inside... Now in the abyss I finally face the Sun.

I am not a real man. I am an unreal man. The standard I set is that when people come to know, they refuse to believe.

Without Shakti Shiva is Shava.

Man from the Dark Star

I thought I had taken a step further into the night until I realized that the night had taken a step further into me.

Phases do follow one another, but they also lie nested: inside one another. The dualism originates from the atomic level, and solely by understanding this can self-examination lead to the confrontation sought, without the fabric that’s been built only to preserve one’s hopes and desires. The authenticity can sometimes – rarely nowadays – be seen in the eyes of those who, due to the circumstances in their existence, never even had the chance to choose mendacity.

The Taoist principle of yin/yang is well-known in the Western world, but then again misunderstood. it is often mentioned in the context of some imitative philosophy or in a showcase of platitudes. When I was training in China I happened to be lucky enough to have the opportunity of seeing how yin/yang can be applied.

Let us try and comprehend the human body as a space; within that space there is a certain amount of energy. When strength is used it is actually being transferred, which causes the emergence of a spot that’s weak or even “empty”. This can be taken advantage of in a fight by just being (or rather having become) sensitive enough, so that it’s possible to detect what happens as the opponent attacks. Such is the basis of the Wudang martial arts. Even if the fighter does not knowingly enter into his actions he may simply react in a way most natural, shifting the necessary charge of energy to where it’s needed, as a part of the ensemble not a separate individual measure. In the long run this goes on and on in the person as progress to never end.

It is the same with the soul. A forever cycle of forces battling each other is the ground from which birth is given to growth and increment. The wonderful place where flowers come from is located in no place else but underground. Or what is Poe’s destination as he walks along the cypress alley – and what may it be that lights his way (“Ulalume”).

Within the eyes there is darkness. This must be experienced in a manner as immediate as if it was breathing through the pores in one’s skin. Finding yourself is being mutilated; amputation of all that prevents me from being what I am. The realization of Tao is manifested in a metamorphosis, the influence of which goes both back- and forwards in history. The caterpillar has its meaning after the butterfly’s hatching out.

I have now reached the core. It is time to pass on through the core, to see reality in reverse. In order to avoid loneliness one needs to go where others are, shorn of hopes and desires on the other hand one is able to travel to the burning of the invisible suns.

Once we were two sisters
Once we were two women
Now we have become Dark Star Man
Morning Star Man
who helps the people in time of war

Once we were two sisters
Now we have become Dark Star Man

( Song of the Tiwa)

What makes wrestling professional, part 2

Historically catch-as-catch-can may and must be regarded as the basis of all pro wrestling, not only speaking of time before or during the 80’s but also after that era. In that particular art there was nothing more important than the quality of contact, though it must be mentioned that underlining the fact in this very context feels absurd to say the least. The aim of a skilled catch-wrestler was to create situations advantageous for him, which would not only allow him to constantly go for different forms of submission holds but also maintain the attack despite of any attempt of defence or counter from the opponent’s part. Thus it was inevitable that the opponent would, sooner or later, be driven to a dead-end with this strategy, meaning having him either pinned or submitted. The old term “hooking” actually refers to a similar action that happens in fishing: to have the fish caught with the hook isn’t enough, it is yet to be pulled from the water which is a process of its own. Likewise, in the catch-as-catch-can philosophy the opponent is to be put under such barrage of intense grappling that it becomes impossible for him to break loose anymore.

Many of today’s wrestlers choose to train their muscles bodybuilding-style, although some of those whose style is more aerial do focus on acrobatics. The problem is that neither method, useful as they may be, is best possible when we think about the art itself as wrestling not a competition of brawn or gymnastics. The goal being efficiency in grappling one should really exercise the body with moves that are meant and developed for wrestlers and their training. Understanding this properly will lead the individual to select such forms of exercise that utilize bodyweight and comprise the extension of muscles as well as flexing them, the result ultimately being that both physical ability and looks become adequate; what is expected from a person representing the sport of wrestling.

As time passes changes obviously do take place, a fact concerning all phenomena in the long run. Judo, elaborated in the 19^th century, is very different from Jiu-Jitsu practised in Japan’s feudal age; MMA these days is nothing like the first Ultimate Fighting tournaments etc. There is transformation from what was before due to outside factors and those that work from within too, and we are not to try to prevent the natural course of things from happening. Still, it is reasonable to analyze this progress and question whether it is or is not desirable, asking ourselves what the essence should be and what we want it to be. Up to what point is our wrestling “professional,” what is the prerequisite and what are the chances for the art to remain the way we think it should. Is there any need for criteria? Who is to say to which direction the sport should be taken – the audience, the wrestlers, future participants or the sport itself?

Pro wrestling has traditionally been called The Sport of Kings. Later on in history a new definition was given in Japan; a parallel one: The King of Sports. My will is to value the completeness of strategy more than anything, so there be no satisfying with anything less than what’s been declared above. Because the most sophisticated forms of martial arts are often described as “poetry in motion” it is not enough that this poetry is only being kept from decaying to the worse meaning – it must be it at the very best to stay!

Waino Ketonen

What makes wrestling professional, part 1

”When the truth is wrapped in a poem, or is wearing a robe of poetry so to speak, it is no longer the truth but a poem in a worse meaning of the word, that is a lie” (Alex Gabriel Ingelius).

In more than 90% of pro wrestling matches the idea is that it will be either pin or submission that should decide the outcome. The wrestler is to place the opponent’s shoulders on the mat for the time of the referee counting to three or have the opponent in a hold the pressure of which forces him to announce he’s no longer able to go on. In various styles of known as wrestling the match is sometimes completely, sometimes mainly based on grappling skills. In Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling for example none but wrestling holds and moves are used, whereas pro wrestling adds strikes the purpose of which is to distract the opponent or change his location in order to make it a disadvantageous situation for him, so that the probability of having him pinned or making him submit would be significantly increased. 

After the change in the public image in the 1980’s and the development in the sport that's been taking place, the nature of matches labelled as pro wrestling has become such that both pin and submission seem to be but secondary goals, at least when measuring the level of intensity on which these matches do occur at their most crucial points. Although winning is still most often done by using either one of those two ways, it is surprising to find out the lack of skill of an average wrestler when we come to technical and tactical prowess, not to mention the knowledge of the underlying principles on which all grapping is based by the very essence of the art itself.

On a regular basis we do come to witness situations that are strategically incoherent. Let us say a wrestler takes his opponent down, thus having an opportunity to try to pin him not just once but several times, or if it the chance is better for taking a submission hold, why not go for it for the effect of the hold would probably be greater than in some random situation, standing up for instance. Note that submission holds are to be taken in similar speed and intensity as one uses while pinning – at least that should be the mentality. Despite of all this wrestlers are seen doing things that are irrelevant to say the least, apparently ignoring the very basics of the sport. As the opponet’s been put to the mat, they might

1. let go of the opponent and move away from him, sometimes all the way to the ring apron or even to the top rope in order to execute a high impact maneuver and presumably attract the audience by doing so, due to the visual nature of it, even when the time spent to the letting go and moving away is certain to affect the output

2. pick(!) the opponent up and rather keep the match going with both parties on their feet because of finding groundwork inconvenient and lacking the skills to do it successfully

3. pause and speak to the audience for the entertainment value of it or just to show off as if marketing themselves.

All these alternatives can only mean that a) the winning of the match is not regarded as something of primary importance, not at least at the moment, b) it is assumed that it should be likely enough to pin the opponent or have submission later on in the match anyway. So, instead of moving on with as steadfast manner as possible the wrestler deliberately chooses to rather please the audience by conducting a performance or bringing in some elements that would have no meaning whatsoever in any fight, neither in a match for that matter. In both cases wrestling is being pulled away from its own nature as a combat sport; Miyamoto Musashi spoke of the same problem of decadence while describing the 17^th century commercialization of kenjutsu: “There is more decoration than reality”.

Billy Riley

Techniques of catch-as-catch-can in modern day pro wrestling

Speaking of pro wrestling in the original and truest meaning of the word it is undeniable that the art is based on an ancient style known as catch-as-catch-can. With the experience I’ve had so far I’ve come to the conclusion that seeking those roots is the best way to both develop my own strategy and help people understand pro wrestling as a sport rather than just a form of entertainment. Let me introduce some of the techniques I’ve found useful and that have worked as keys to my success in many situations in the ring.

The idea in catch-as-catch-can is to make the techniques as firm and tight as possible, so that countering them might become as difficult as possible. The focus of the tactical part of it is really on being straight-forward and aggressive in a match, active one might say, so here are a few examples that I'd presume can give a spectator a clue about this concept.

Modified sleeper hold

A chokehold commonly known as sleeper certainly is, even when executed in the usual way, a very fast and efficient technique, but just to make it precise we’ll take a look at some weaknesses that can be used in order to break free of the hold.

1. When the wrestler has hooked the opponent’s neck with one arm and tries to use his other arm to tighten the hold, it is possible for the opponent to catch this second arm and create a counter-hold reminding overhand wristlock. This might not just allow the opponent to break free from the sleeper but also enable him to hook the arm of the wrestler and go for submission.

2. Instead of trying to break free of the hold the opponent can throw the whole weight of his body backwards, pushing into the wrestler’s face strongly with the back of his head. The pressure of this counter-move is thus driven to the sensitive parts around the wrestler’s neck and mouth, so it may work quite efficiently when executed in a sudden manner.

3. It is possible for the opponent to, adapting to what’s happening, try to affect the balance of the wrestler and move towards the ropes while the sleeper’s being taken. If the ropes actaully are reached before the pressure of the hold takes its toll, the wrestler will have to let go of his opponent (that would only be the case in a match and not in self-defence kind of situation of course).

On the other hand, one variation of the sleeper hold is taken – with the idea of catch-as-catch-can – in a way described here: the wrestler gets the control from the side and not from behind, the opponent’s inner arm in trapped below his chin and the wrestler links his own arms near the back of the opponent’s neck, bringing his free hand to cover the opponent’s face. The nose and the chin here work as a handle by using which the wrestler is able to lock his arms to create a hold most tightly, and the hand placed upon the opponent’s mouth/nostrils may also increase the feeling of suffocation. This is not breaking the rules of pro wrestling as long as there’s no fish hooking or clawing. 

A typical counter-attack would be much more difficult with this sort of sleeper hold, the wrestler being on the side and away from the opponent’s free arm. Yet there’s only one hand the opponent could use while reaching for the ropes, the trapped arm making his efforts to move very uncomfortable. In addition there’s also the psychological effect to remember: the feeling of helplessness caused by the constriction and the panic emerging from the fear of being suffocated.

Half hatch

With the opponent’s head trapped in the style of front face lock and one of his arms hooked under, it would be almost like the wrestler having those parts inside the curves of the letter S. Such hold is known as half hatch, and due to the leverage it does offer many possibilities to take the situation further – controlling the opponent from this point on actually becomes very natural thanks to biomechanics. The wrestler can

a)    bring the opponent to the mat by just turning to the side; to the opponent’s side actually, with the movement happening in a tiny space it becomes force directed downwards

b)    take the opponent down as he lunges forward, basically meaning that the wrestler only needs to land on his side in order to let the momentum guide the opponent to where he wouldn’t want to go

c)    throw the opponent, which needs to happen to the “empty” direction in a 45 degree angle – trying to make it straight only helps the opponent to block the move by lowering the weight of his body, or if the wrestler tries to pull him over to the side, with the reactions and balance required, the opponent can just keep shifting himself around very much like a boxer does when facing a disadvantageous situation.

No matter which option the wrestler chooses he is always to remember to not let go of the hold even after having landed to the mat. That way he’ll still have the opponent’s head and arm under control with possibilities of neck cranks and wrist locks, not to mention the fact that being placed on the opponent the wrestler can simply try to pin him, even for numerous times should that seem right at the moment.

Heel hook

It is not an uncommon thing to see an ankle lock in pro wrestling; this would most often be a toe hold with the foot being used to get the leverage. I personally find heel hook even better a technique, for while doing the latter the wrestler is trapping his opponent’s foot in the armpit instead of just manipulating it with the grip of his hands. This once more makes the hold tighter and stronger. Although this technique might not lead to an instant submission, it does offer chances to quickly end the match with the opponent’s leg under such control that it is very easy to move him to another position which allows the wrestler to go for holds more devastating which can be attained. In pro wrestling one is not to forget the many possibilities offered by the striking techniques known as “drops” either.

Some people lacking experience may think that it is anatomically difficult to hook a person’s heel and therefore the technique itself must be not so useful in a match. They are wrong. All one needs to di is to use the whole body as a unit following the very idea of catch-as-catch-can and, that being so, why not the true spirit of every martial art. With this perception the change to take place in one-on-one situation will be so radical that there’s no exaggeration in using the metaphor of a well-oiled machine replacing a rusty one.

Nelson holds

Never underestimate the power of the Nelson when there is proper technique of catch-as-catch-can and right kind of understanding of the purpose. The excellence lies in the direction that is optimal, forcing the opponent to move to where the wrestler wants to have him moved. With his arm grapevined into a hold that combines the strength of underhooking and neck cranking, the wrestler only needs to direct his own weight, creating momentum that really has nothing to do with the raw power of arm muscles. One of pro wrestling’s most essential qualities is the art being so sophisticated, and just partly because the Nelson-holds have become rather rare in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling today, the audience doesn’t seem to notice the connection to catch-as-catch-can. So let it be mentioned here that the number of techniques traditionally bearing the name of Nelson in catch-wrestling is 5 not 2, announcing by the same token that they all do come from the same source the differences mainly having to do with positioning.

Underlying principles

Martial arts are not about force but about concentrating force, said Hirokazu Kanazawa. This if anything is not to be ignored in catch-as-catch-can, because back in the day the matches sometimes lasted incredible amounts of time and then again the wrestlers would occasionally run into situations that needed to be ended instantly. The directions I’ve mentioned are a good example of the laws behind single techniques, and by knowing these and using the technique from the basis of this knowledge the economy of force which makes the difference between strategy and fury will be in our reach without a doubt. In a game of chess both players do have the same resources, still success doesn’t come from moving towards the enemy single-mindedly but the level of skill of turning any situation into an outcome advantageous enough. Be it one fight among many, there may be a lot having to do with chance, but only in the art of war the concept of being a master can truly reach its value.

It is known that catch-as-catch-can as a method was being updated all the time in order to gather as much know-how of close combat as possible. It is not wrong to bring in things that are useful, but once we start reforming what was to be kept original and at the same time try to tell that it’s still what it used to be, the ground gets unstable. Pro wrestling should be a part of keeping the tradition alive, and more than that giving the audience what they paid for, so in my opinion the best way to accomplish this is to dig deep into the hard core. There’s a reason to regard doing so as wrestling professionally, not just in the sense that used to be but also from the perspective of what is required in modern day thinking and in analyzing those thoughts.

Is Adder Adder?

Photo by Mikko Löppönen

Good and bad as concepts are relative, right and wrong, in turn, are absolute. We’re constantly walking the quagmire of our personal choices, as Uuno Kailas expressed it, truly “across the swamp” to reach the heights of mountaintops where there is nothing to break the void filled with light. On this journey our only map is the way we feel about things, the compass being determination, in other words these are ethics and moral. To know the direction is one thing, to choose the path is another, and all too often we are influenced in decision-making by the quality of the route to pick, despite of the possibility of being led astray with this hesitation. In the end of the day it is just a question of how much we value the trek we’re on and to what extent we are prepared to face distress for its sake.

Coming to this it is my conviction that I go where I will, not where I might or might not seem to be able to pass through. No matter how hard or slow it may be this way, it is better than to diverge, for even the tiniest error in reality takes us further away from the destination and therefore is, when taken for a solution, unambiguously wrong. By false reasoning it is of course possible to justify what ever pointless drifting, but why not rid yourself of such “sense” and abandon hope that’s unavailing. Being torn apart, defeat or annihilation – don’t these all become most inessential when we turn our eyes to the mountains far-off?

Martin Faulks describes the devotion of Grandmaster Hatsumi Masaaki to his art by calling it selfish focus. What might seem, under superficial study, indifferent or even like lacking “good” purpose is in reality nothing but following the (only) right path without second thoughts. What can one do but to breathe life to where it can be breathed into? The mountainsides that bathe in sunlight are inevitably in touch with the mire of the deep. Without the latter, the ferment, the submerging in the bog eyes and the everlasting battle among those who dwell in darkness the individual shall never be placed to answer the ultimate question, the one most important.

There are signs and portents carried in the wind. The Grail does exist.

The tension between two infinities is the Sledgehammer of God. It pounds both matter and un-matter, crushing and twisting until spirit and flesh have become one, and from this union alone emerges the power of intention that bends the universe straight. An outside observer could only see this process as monstrous.

As we travel the oceans on The Pequod we are, nevertheless, still on the swamp (the name of the tribe Pequot is derived from an Algonquin word paquatauoq, “men of the swamp”), roaming the marshlands of our destinies. The battle in the deep goes on, worlds keep being born of the clashing of fire and ice.

From internal martial arts' perspective

Knowing that gravity is based on mass and affects the locations and movement of objects, then what about the fact that both location and movement are always relative? So is it possible for the force of gravity to be any more ablosute than that? Isn't the distorting of space-time merely a direction among others, and could one therefore be able to have control over it? We are also to remember the none-existent nature of existence, that meaning not only phenomena but matter as well. Seeking the very core of a particle, can anything but nothingness be ultimately found?

Let us think of a real-life situation, combat in this case. Any hold or strike means directing energy to the target, pressure that is. For example, if the opponent grabs your wrist you can of course try to release yourself by moving the wrist, which means struggle: strength against strength. In a constant situation this would be like fighting gravity; you can jump, but no matter how high you go you will come down. Force is the obstacle. Then again, abandoning force would be like freeing yourself of the gravitational pull. You can choose to let the wrist stay where it is and move the elbow instead, to a direction where there is no obstacle. Not only creates this leverage which makes it impossible for the opponent to prevent you from moving but also causes your defence and counter-attack to be simultaneous: with the first reaction you are already "half-way there".

It has been said in philosophy that everything flows. I for my part would say that, to begin with, everything floats, which on the other hand makes the flow possible. Speaking of combat, what is often told of monks having mystical skills is seldom told of "ordinary" soldiers. The duality lies there as well; to be warrior is to be sage. The truth cannot be cut in half.

The Kundalini of Gloom

"Darkness descended. It is good. It´s always good that there is darkness," said Kaarlo Valkonen when I had come to learn from him. So I do move on to the direction where blackness can be found at its deepest, the secrets kept there to know. The travelling has become a guidebook of alchemy, and alchemy itself is but a map to the very source of Tao.

The year passed has been one of accomplishment. Speaking not of any personal success, it is significant that there was certain breaking of the borderlines between pro wrestling and traditional combat arts; for my part let us mention the cooperation with Daishin Ryu Kempo and Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. Mô nido to wa modore wa shinai. There have been three phases in my life: before pro wrestling, in pro wrestling so far, and from this point ahead. It can be said that Adder has now shown he is who he is. Why focus on doing what others can do while it is already being done by others? It is better to set your mind on what you alone are capable of, and from that forge the sword of Tesshu.

What emerges from the spine is marked with a black pattern bearing jagged edges. As the circle becomes full the fangs of the serpent bite into the tip of its own tail. When infinity turns into zero the quest will have ended.

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.

- Wendell Berry

The Gorgoneion

"Through the flesh the bone is showing..."

"... through the bone the marrow's showing" (The Kalevala).

”People were sitting around a fire, men on one side and women on the other side. I went inside, not as a human being but as a skeleton; I do not know by whom I was gnawed, I don’t know how it happened. When I had a closer look they did not appear to be human beings but skeletons that were clothed. There was a seven-sided anvil on the floor of the hut. I saw a woman with an appearance like she was made of fire. I saw a man holding a pair of tongs. There were seven holes in the woman’s body… ‘So this is the shaman origin’ said I.” (As told by Sereptie Djaruoskin, a Nenets wise man, of his initiation.)

Over the course of their history the peoples living in the north have become familiar not only with the harshness of the nature but with the state of death-like stupor which seems to take over the surroundings for the time of the year when the sun remains unseen. Though a body stripped of flesh is most often regarded as an image of life having ended, from the Jungian perspective the Inuit legend of Skeleton Woman (told by Mary Uukalat) is more than anything a story of birth and giving birth. What was hidden bursts out, from the darkness and the unknown emerges a new kind of life. Facing this inner essence is, despite of the frightfulness of the experience, more than inevitable: it is true to nature. So goes on creation, just like a serpent shedding his skin gives birth to himself, out of his own self.

One may find out that a transition which at first seemed to be moving outwards is actually but shifting to the very centre – when reaching the core. W. H. Hodgson wrote an excellent description of this in his novel The House on the Borderland, a vision of a dark sun.

“Verum, sine mendacio, certum et verissimum: Quod est inferius est sicud quot est superius, et quod est superius est sicud quo test inferius –“ In January 2009 news of a peculiar discovery made by Alexander Kashlinsky’s research team was published in New Scientist: an entire group of galaxy clusters is moving towards a point in the sector between the constellations of Centaurus and Vela. Because of the distance it is (for now) impossible to find out what might be the cause; in other words the reason lies beyond the limits of visible universe. One can only say that something draws an incredible amount of matter towards itself with a force greater than the mass in question.

It is undeniable that we cannot truly comprehend the phenomenon, but I still see a connection to what was taught to me by Master Huang Kang-Hui about Baguazhang. I was basically told that while practising hand techniques for example one is to put the focus on the hand as if it was doing the actual move in a real situation – thus becomes the training a conscious activity and activating instead of, although being merely just practising, meaningless mechanical motion.

Having come to realize that what does exist is based on what does not exist we enter the domain beyond particles, step into the zone of zero scale.

The call of Skeleton Woman – and Man – shows the way inward, not out. There is no route for escaping. Even if the diameter of a circle keeps growing infinitely, the circle itself will still be either large or small compared to any object relative. Core, on the other hand, remains as it is. Most people do pursuit whatever can be achieved in order to gain significance in the eyes of others; my goals lie beyond the limits of visible universe instead. No one shall ever even know what happens to me.

Initiation

Embryos of nothingness

If every part of the universe can be shown, at its most precise, as a point with a location but no dimensions at all, doesn’t it mean that existence - from the physical point of view - is built on none-existence (infinity times zero) and the case being that in what way the whole can be larger than the sum of it all and what sort of difference does that make to begin with?

We may sometimes run into hearing about things been done which, according to our knowledge and experience in everyday life, should simply not be possible. What if these cases really are about the dualism manifesting itself in a way we do not know yet, or using the structure of it? Perception and acceptance do happen on two different levels. So in a way it would be like a magic trick done in reverse, the one taking action being an adept while reality being the illusionist in it.

Let us study the front to be able to look behind it. The eight trigram set forms a configuration in the middle of which is what else but the true nature of matters taking place? It is the same with the eight steps themselves – the space they create is no less than the final ninth phase: moving into nothingness. In the end of the day, facing the serpent shall bring us the motifs to make these conclusions.

NO IF

There is only one Adder, and in the Stark world there can be no such thing as ”if”. This day to me means a culmination of both integrity and independence – let one not stand on any foundation of false claims.

This be the birth of  komorebi-kai: a method of knowing without seeing, learning with no teachings. As wisdom grows like a tree, the truth will be hidden by the leaves. The very essence becomes encrypted by the complexity of the mandala-like pattern itself, but we may still observe the nature of the light shining through.

In the distance there is a goal, no larger in our vision than the point of a needle, so far away that one might think it doesn’t really exist at all. Thus it may seem like there's not much of a chance to ever make it there, but since it’s known to me that this secret destination does exist, I also know it can be reached. As long as there's no giving up.

Making it there will change everything.

Be guided by blindness. Choices are mere delusion – in reality, even in the darkness of labyrinth there is but one path to follow.

Victor Hugo meets Stark Adder