Did I understand?
Not from where I was standing.
The dojo is an artificial reality.
It is a construct, a place we gather to explore the transmission of the martial arts.
To the outside it is a mix of curiosity and surprise.
A place where people get hit, thrown, and experience martial arts techniques.
But for those inside the dojo, it is a place of compassion.
Martial arts friends- buyu, who want to see you succeed, who want to see you be the best that you can.
Friends who correct and point out your mistakes and failings in movement, so you can correct them, perfect them.
In the dojo you get as many chances as you need, outside of the dojo, there is only one chance.
It is easy to become so focused in the martial arts, that one believes the *dojo* is the martial arts.
Martial arts, as a way to navigate movement, is outside the dojo, the key being able to bridge what you are experiencing in the dojo and using it outside of the dojo.
Using the movement to live and enjoy life.
I was standing in the wrong place, not controlling the space around me- one of the fundamentals of movement, control the space.
Just crossing the street, something as simple as where to stand is the *martial arts*.
Incoming and passing cars, what if one jumped the curb?
Objects, pylons, barriers one can stand behind, putting them in the space between you and incoming traffic.
Something as simple as just where you stand *is* the martial arts.
Awareness.