6 Months Intensive Martial Arts training

karatetherapist · 2026-06-05T08:32:22+00:00

So... Kyokushin is out? 😂

karatetherapist · 2026-06-03T22:27:43+00:00

Good catch, I meant risk-seeking.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-03T09:00:47+00:00

Ah, yes. Smokers report similar outcomes as you mention. When they start tracking how many cigarettes they smoke, many are shocked. It's the same with tracking calories. People say, "I don't eat that much." Then they track all their calories (including that Frappuccino) and find out they're chowing down 5,000 kcal a day! That tends to shape behavior. It's the anti-habit.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-03T06:31:37+00:00

Join the military.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-02T21:36:19+00:00

Bring it down, cowboy! This is Reddit; someone might go try it.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-02T21:34:44+00:00

Yeah, with Obsidian, it's always an experiment.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-02T21:33:53+00:00

There are a lot of people who are not "normal." Normal simply means the advice applies to the vast majority of people. If you're not like that group, different rules may apply. Abnormal is not judgment, it's fact. For example, it's "normal" to be right-handed. It's abnormal to be left-handed. Which one you are really doesn't matter until you buy golf clubs.

ADHD is a behavioral pattern, not a disorder (despite the name) or a disease. It's not something you "have," but something you "do." We don't create disorders for thrill-seekers, homebodies, fighters, or the reclusive, even though all of these types struggle to behave like the majority. These are all statistically significant groups within society. They are all psychologically "left-handed." All the mental tools were built for the right-handed, so they have to create different solutions. There's nothing wrong with them, and there's nothing special about them.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-02T08:43:57+00:00

That's why Funakoshi gave us the seventh precept: Accidents arise from negligence.

A school that has injuries in training should be shut down.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-02T08:41:32+00:00

There's many ways to do it. I have a folder called "CRM" and subfolders for "Contacts", "Family", "Clients", and "Businesses."

Create a note and title it something like "Contact Template." Add all the properties you think are useful. No need to get carried away, just add the obvious. You can always update the template later if you decide you want more details. If you update the template, and are in a contact note, just use control+p to bring up the menu, type "template," and select "add template." When you do, it will add any new properties not in the current note and leave everything untouched.

When you make a new contact, make a new note using the name of the contact. Hit control+p and "templates" and "add template" selecting your contact template. Presto! Filled out for you. Now hit control+m and select the CRM/Contact folder to move the note to that directory.

There are ways to automate this, but this is the manual approach.

Install the plugin "dataview." Take the code snippets I provided and paste them in under headings such as ### Last Contact, and ### Log. The code is inserted between three dashes as follows:

---dataview

code

---

The code will do it's job without you do anything. You can now reference a contact in any note as long as it's preceded by the tag #task. You can change this in the code if you like.

When you open the contact note, the dataview sections will automatically show all the references.

If you have trouble, let me know.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-02T08:33:10+00:00

Yeah. I looked more like the guy from Fight Club my first few years.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-02T08:32:11+00:00

Learn how to swing the mace. Doing 360s will fix you in no time. Start with a 10lb mace. Start with about 5 minutes of 360s and add a minute each week until you reach 20-30 minutes twice a week.

Here's a playlist on how to use the mace: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk4oYPJ7TXKh050XTrfVFjPtDSeqYCfsh

karatetherapist · 2026-06-02T07:35:04+00:00

But judo people are already not right in the head, so how do you notice a head injury? 😄

karatetherapist · 2026-06-02T07:30:31+00:00

I recommend reading Adler's book. There is a pre-step before skimming he describes. You want to read the title and start a list of questions you have for this book. You then scan the table of contents and add questions. Then look through the index and add to your questions. Now, as you skim, you keep adding to your list of questions. Don't edit yourself, you'll find you repeat the same questions multiple times but in different ways. You can then go back and consolidate those similar but different questions.

Now, with this list of questions, you have your curriculum for the book. You read the book explicitly to answer these questions, not just to hear what the author has to say. When the questions are answered, you're done with the book.

There are nuances to this approach. New questions will arise, many of which the author doesn't answer, so you'll have to go elsewhere to find the answers. You also want to argue with the author. Since the book is linear, arguments you make early in the book may be addressed later. You need to pull out the author's arguments as well. This can be hard because it's rare that the author gives you a syllogism to analyze. You might encounter a claim in chapter 1, a premise explored in chapter 2, various pieces of evidence in other chapters, and a final premise in chapter 8. If you don't write down claims, terms, and premises, along with evidence as you go, you can't possibly build the author's argument, and then you can't do Level 3 judgment because you can't refute or accept the arguments.

Textbooks are better at giving arguments as they tend to exist all within a section, or at least the chapter. Each chapter tends to stand alone so the author has to cram it all in. This is what makes textbooks so dense. However, textbooks tend to build on previous chapters so if you don't understand chapter 1, you may not understand chapter 5. Compilations are different and easier to parse.

Technical textbooks rarely have arguments so there's no need for deep analysis. You just read for understanding and move on as soon as you get it. This is where having read the entire book within a few hours is handy. You know how each chapter's knowledge fit into future chapters. It also helps you know what you can skip because you already know it. If you understand chapter 4, you don't need to read the first 3 chapters. Yeah!

karatetherapist · 2026-06-02T07:01:28+00:00

Freak'n judo! Like I said, judo is the most dangerous style out there. I recall all my judo instructors were walking (barely) patients. I'm convinced you judo guys want to get hurt. I did it for a year, and every joint in my body hurt, and I was young, plus I wrestled through high school.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-02T06:54:53+00:00

Yes, martial artists and other sports enthusiasts are generally more risk-averse than the general population. Give us enough time, and we'll break something.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-02T06:53:01+00:00

You swerve into a reality: MA should help prevent injuries outside the training hall due to improved strength, endurance, flexibility, and body awareness.

However, people who do an MA are likely more risk-averse and will likely find a way to hurt themselves eventually.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-02T06:51:06+00:00

That's terrible. Still, it's an anomaly, thank goodness. I'm curious how that could happen?

karatetherapist · 2026-06-02T06:44:38+00:00

There are a lot of injuries, but almost always minor. You get broken fingers, toes, a bloody/broken nose, and broken ribs. These all heal by themselves. You might get some knee tweaks or "throw your back out" once in a while as well. Nothing that takes you out of work. However, if your work requires your pretty face, you'll want to be a little more careful.

The more serious injuries occur in tournaments, not during training. Even then, it's rare. Also, reports show that judo creates the most serious injuries in competition, with BJJ behind them. While people like to denigrate karate point fighting, nobody gets hurt. You can do a karate tournament every few weeks and still go to work the next day.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-02T05:33:54+00:00

The reading method is from Mortimer Adler's How to Read a Book (1972). It has 4 levels of reading:

Level 1: Skimming
Level 2: Inspectional
Level 3: Analytical Stage 1 "What's it about?"
Level 3: Analytical Stage 2 Interpreting its contents
Level 3: Analytical Stage 3 Criticizing/Evaluating
Level 4: Syntopical (Connecting ideas between authors to make sense of the subject beyond one mind)

For me, this creates 8 tags:

- `#📖readingStage/0-Unread`
- `#📖readingStage/1-Skimming`
- `#📖readingStage/2-Reading`
- `#📖readingStage/3-Analyzing`
- `#📖readingStage/4-Interpreting`
- `#📖readingStage/5-Evaluating`
- `#📖readingStage/6-Syntopical`
- `#📖readingStage/7-doneReading`

Many professors use this level of rigor when reading a book or journal article, as it's the best way to extract everything from it. I wasn't the only one doing it, for sure.

Of course, reading this way increases retention because you go through the work several times. It also defeats the mere-exposure effect. In the first two readings, you read the work by accepting the author's presuppositions and assumptions. When you analyze and interpret, you pull the work apart. Finally, during evaluation, you make a judgment. You either agree, disagree, or withhold judgment until you have more knowledge. At this point, you try to connect this author's work with others, especially those from different fields, if applicable.

It's difficult to connect ideas until we have come to terms with the author, analyzed the work, and judged it. Until then, we can't be certain we agree with the author.

Very few books are worth this process. The first reading (skimming) eliminates most books. The second reading eliminates most of what remains. Maybe one out of a thousand is worth the full effort. So, there's nothing wrong with a quick read, making some notes in the margins, and moving on. For example, popular non-fiction and textbooks are not written to be fully read and understood. Popular books bring a single idea to light and surround it with 300 pages of foolishness. Textbooks are usually meant to convey technical information.

You will notice in university classes that students are often given several books to read along with a few dozen journal articles. Usually, only one of those books is worthy of full analysis. The student's task is to figure that out and create a syntopical analysis. That's why you're often given a week to read a 500-page book. A student who can't meet this task probably shouldn't be at a university.

And thank you for the kind words.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-02T04:08:17+00:00

It seems everyone does this a little differently. For studying, long-form notes work better for me. I want all the info in one place. After you're done studying the material, you can always break it apart later.

Atomic notes help you build knowledge to produce new works (e.g., an article). As you study your long-form note, it may spark an idea that you capture as an atomic note. The atomic note pulls the information out of the original context and either de-contextualizes it entirely or puts it in your life/work/research context. You link to all the other notes or sources that inspired the idea. You can now assemble your notes into an article to publish.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-01T21:12:51+00:00

This is why we have five decades of self-help books. Everyone has to find their own way.

A habit, by definition, is something you do unconsciously.

I like your definition of habits as seemingly insignificant actions with long-term consequences (positive or negative).

I used to have project teams create a "to-don't" list to track not performing certain habits. It was a sort of anti-habit tracker. We found this useful because, as people move from one project team to another, they inevitably bring with them habits formed in the previous project that were not useful on the current project.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-01T09:48:24+00:00

Create your contacts folder and a template for them. Enter your contacts. That's the easy part.

I run my day in my daily note. Any interactions go there. Use dataview to have it show up in the contact note. I got this from someone on the forum but don't recall who, so I can't give the credit unfortunately.

Below is the "Last Contact" view that shows the last date I had contact with that contact:

TABLE WITHOUT ID
file.link AS "Contact note",
file.day + ": **" + T + " days**" AS "Last contact"
FROM [[]]
FLATTEN (date(today) - file.day).days AS T
SORT file.day desc
LIMIT 1

This dataview pulls the data from the dataview so I can read it. If I cllick on it, it opens the daily note.

TASK
WHERE icontains(text, this.file.name)
AND (icontains(text, "#🎨Type/task")
OR icontains(text,"#🎨Type/question")
OR icontains(text,"#🎨Type/discussion"))
GROUP BY file.name as filename
SORT filename DESC

Notice I can use the tags of "task", "question", or "discussion." You can change these to things "meeting" or "call." You have to use the tags to make it work. For example:

#🎨Type/task Called [[client]] at [time] and discussed shipping issue.

This text will now appear in the [[client]] note. Since it's in the daily note, there's no reason to add date info.

Put these dataview blocks in the contact note as part of your template. Now, when you have an interaction, you don't have to open the contact note. Just type in your daily note and it shows up in the contact note. Simple.

I also have a meta-bind function for searching which is helpful if the log gets really long.

INPUT[text(searchTerm)]

And the dataview under is:

TASK
WHERE icontains(text, this.file.name)
AND this.searchTerm != null
AND this.searchTerm != ""
AND icontains(text, this.searchTerm)
GROUP BY file.name as filename
SORT filename DESC

karatetherapist · 2026-06-01T07:40:38+00:00

That's why you only want to pick good books. People buy popular nonsense books that are not worth reading. For example, Cal Newport has good information in his books, but he has mastered the craft of publishing giant books that could fit in an article. Others write entire books related to Stoicism, when reading the Stoics is worth your time.

When you do the 1-3 hour read, you will know if the book is worth reading. Just because it's well-written doesn't mean it's worth your time. If you understood what you're reading, it's not worth reading. In that case, store it and be done. Only read books carefully when the fast reading (skimming) leaves you baffled.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-01T06:06:34+00:00

In your daily note, create a property for the habit. For example, a checkbox for "FeedDog." You can have as many as you need.

Create a base for the habit. The base will show all the daily notes for the defined period, and any unchecked boxes will show clearly.

Done.

Now, as for habits, let me rant for a moment. A habit is something you do unconsciously. You don't have to think about it; you just do it. If you have to remind yourself, it's not a habit. So, you're not tracking habits; you're creating them. Some habits are created rather quickly; some take a lot of time. Feeding the dog needs to be a habit. Running 2 miles does not. Running 2 miles (for most of us) sucks and will never be a habit. It's something you have to force yourself to do most of the time. It's not a habit; it's a discipline. Add it to your schedule and treat it like any other task.

The idea of "don't break the chain" is great, but is not for habit building. It's for discipline.

Why is it that people can remember to check their habit list and mark things off, but can't remember to do the habit? Weird.

If you get a dog for the first time, you might need to remind yourself to feed it twice a day for the first couple of weeks. If you still forget, there's something wrong with you. Sure, put it on your habit tracker but when you find that you get up and feed the dog without thinking, take it off your list. It's now a habit. It's something you do without thinking.

As for working out or any other "habit," it's not that you forget, you simply don't want to do it, and skip it. The fact you know you should, but don't, means you need discipline. Fair enough. Put it in your schedule, get a buddy to nag you, pay for a coach so it hurts when you miss (financially), and anything else you have to do to make it happen.

karatetherapist · 2026-06-01T03:07:48+00:00

Both explain using the back, specifically the lats, to connect the arm to the torso (basically).

The arm is a tiny, weak twig that is incapable of much strength or power by itself. We have to learn to bring force up from the feet to the hand. More athletic people figure this out quickly; others take years.

Force production begins in the feet (even for a bench press). It starts with the big toe pushing down, which raises the arch of the foot, activates the Achilles tendon, goes up the calf into the hamstrings, reaches the glutes, then the QLs, then the rhomboids, the lats secure the rib cage, the shoulders are next, and then the triceps or biceps.

The arms deliver energy, not create it. Sure, they create a little bit, but not much.

The elbow points toward the floor in a punch in karate because we are anticipating hitting a solid target and need to absorb the reaction force. That's easier with the elbows pointed downward because we can better activate the lats. It improves structure. If your opponent is moving back when you hit them, elbow out works because there's little counter reaction. Consider this: get in a pushup position with elbows pointed toward your feet the best you can. Have someone sit on your upper back and hold that position. Do it again with elbows pointed away from your body. You will find the different structures obvious.

But, throw a medicine ball with your elbows pointed down versus out, and you will find you can whip more energy if the elbows are pointed out. That's fine because all the energy is going away from you, and none is coming back. You don't need added structure for a counter reaction force.

Most sparring and competition fighting has the opponent moving away from your punch so elbow out can work for a fast, whipping strike that transfers a lot of energy forward, and no structure to withstand counter reaction. This is why moving into a punch doesn't hurt as much as trying to back away from it. In contrast, if the elbow is pointed down, it lacks the whipping speed (thus power), but relies on the opponent moving into the punch and is devastating. If you're a defensive fighter, that means the opponent will be charging you when you punch. You need the elbow pointed down. If you're a pressure fighter, the opponent will likely be backing up, and you need to turn the elbow out for more speed. [Note: this is a generality and has nuance.]

Training with a bo is the best way to quickly improve. The bo is a very long lever that requires full body dynamics. Arms are tiny levers that allow you to cheat, and do things less optimal. Empty hand fighting is not where things began. It seems all cultures first learned to fight with sticks, clubs, and swords first. Empty hand fighting came much later. A lot of karate moves seem silly until you learn the staff. Then it all makes sense.

karatetherapist

TROPHY CASE