THEORY; THEORY; SUB-PRINCIPLE: Control

Controlling our selves, controlling our adversary’s and controlling the environmental influences that lead to conflict and violence. Our objective it to control ourselves, i.e., our minds, our bodies and our spirits. We don’t want an adversary to control us physically but more importantly mentally and spiritually. 

In a physical realm of applied methodologies we must maintain the integrity of the principles applied, i.e., those physiokinetic sub-principles where an assumed posture, an overextension removing alignment, etc., of our bodies or allowing an opening are all about control. The greatest tool of control is our mind, the mind-set and mind-state we achieve when confronted by conflict and violence simply because conflict and violence require the highest of prices one can pay in modern society. 

All martial arts training must be about gaining control over ourselves. The greater our control over ourselves , which comes through principles and multiple methodologies, the greater our control over the situation/conflict.

We must maintain or re-establish control as a primary impetus for karate and/or martial training. In the physical sense, that is control over our body. If the adversary also takes control of our mind then our attention is then removed from the goals at hand therefore we must also learn to take control of our minds. 

Martial principled multiple methodologies seeks to maintain or regain control of a situation/person rather than have it/him/her control us. 

Karate and Martial arts involves gaining/maintaining control over ourselves no matter how adverse the combative situation. We train first to gain control over our own bodies and minds - coordination, self-discipline, confidence, etc. We then seek to maintain that control despite combative conflict, such as when grabbed, kicked, or hit. 

A trained karateka and martial artists must act with the motivation of being in control of his or her person and circumstances, he or she then chooses to prevent aggressors from taking away that control. 

We foremost seek to maintain control of the self, we first must possess control of the self. We must establish control over our own bodies, so much control over our own body that it cannot be controlled by another body - a radically different mindset. 

To lose control -  when we sacrifice posture to execute a takedown, leave an opening while over extending to land a punch, or some other sacrifice of integrity for the sake of controlling the adversary. Control begins and ends with self. 

It is also best to remember that an adversary will willingly sacrifice physical self-control to gain control over us. Practice principles and multiple methodologies toward integrity, efficiency and applicability that cultivate self-control.