Episode 108

Episode #104 - Gaining Focus & Clarity In All Applications: An Interview With Robert Wolfe

Going back hundreds of years, martial arts has been a universal tool for helping to provide control and focus in a variety of different situations. Often associated with its violent past, today's version of martial arts can be viewed in a variety of entertainment mediums that are enjoyed by millions across the world. However, are we missing the bigger point of why we may participate in these types of activities? More specifically, what if we went back to its roots and rethink the ways that it can directly benefit our focus and concentration, in the physical and mental sense, to become the best versions of ourselves? Today's guest, Robert Wolfe, is the founder and owner of Itten Dojo, and shares a wealth of information as to how senseis and students alike have found collaboration in becoming stronger in many different forms of martial arts, including Japanese swordsmanship. It is one thing to know how to master the weapon and learn its delicate balances, but it is a completely different concept to be able to grow in forming teamwork, building better personal and professional self-control, and making new friendships all while applying them to the daily aspects of our lives, and this episode truly shows that the best path to move forward is through discipline and focus in all applications of our lives!

Guest Bio

Robert Wolfe, the founder / chief instructor of Itten Dojo, began martial arts training in 1975 and has taught since 1985. He holds black-belt ranks in multiple martial arts, and was awarded a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Japanese Studies from Bucknell University in 1978. The focus of Itten Dojo is personal transformation through challenging training in practical skills. Mr. Wolfe retired from federal civil service after a 40+ year career with the U.S. Navy as a logistician. As Director of Maritime Industrial Support, he managed a department responsible for supporting the four Naval shipyards with maintenance and modernization of nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers. A highlight of his career was receiving the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the third-highest decoration possible for civilian employees of the Navy. As an author, Mr. Wolfe has published numerous articles addressing the martial arts in a variety of periodicals, from popular magazines to academic journals.

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Intro/Outro By: Michael Dugan, Podcast Host: Voice4Chefs

Transcript
Intro:

Welcome to the podcast where relationships, confidence, and

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determination all converge into

an amazing, heartfelt experience.

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This is Speaking From The Heart.

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Joshua: Welcome back to episode

number 104 of Speaking from the Heart.

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Today, we have Robert Wolfe joining

us, and Robert is the founder and

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chief instructor of Itten Dojo,

which began martial arts training

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in 1975 and has taught since 1985.

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He holds black belt ranks in multiple

martial arts and was awarded a bachelor

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of arts degree in Japanese studies

from Bucknell University, which is

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located in northern Pennsylvania

re my grandmother grew up, in:

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The focus of Itten Dojo is personal

transformation through challenging

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training and practical skills.

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Mr.

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Wolfe retired from federal civil service

after a 40 plus year career with the U.

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S.

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Navy as a logistician.

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As Director of Maritime Industrial

Support, he managed a department

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responsible for supporting the four

naval shipyards with maintenance

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and modernization of nuclear

submarines and aircraft carriers.

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A highlight of his career was receiving

the Navy Meritus Civilian Service Award,

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the third highest decoration possible

for civilian employees of the Navy.

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As an author, Mr.

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Wolfe has published numerous articles

addressing the martial arts in a

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variety of periodicals, from popular

magazines to academic journals.

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As a curiosity to myself, I've always

been interested in Japanese culture and

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the way in which it has interacted with

the martial arts community as a whole.

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Martial arts go back several centuries,

going back to even the empire that

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Japan had, and even then, what really is

interesting about Robert and his overall

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story is that he took a dojo, which

essentially is something that you normally

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think about in movies like The Karate Kid

as being this vicious, mean atmosphere,

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but really open my eyes to the possibility

that martial arts, particularly Japanese

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swordsmanship, can definitely create not

just those best impacts in our different

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areas by focusing and concentration, but

it helps us to grow and evolve in our

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personal and professional development.

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What I really love about our interview

today isn't just about the fact that

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we have this structure that we can

build to create opportunities, but

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that we can build upon the mental and

physical focuses of a repetitiveness

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to be able to not only have better

swordsmanship, but to go through the

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notions that we oftentimes usually

forget about with not only improving

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ourselves, but becoming more self aware

of our surroundings and who we are.

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But with that let's go to the episode.

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We're here with Robert Wolfe.

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Robert, thanks for sharing

your heart with us today.

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Robert: Thank you, Joshua.

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I really appreciate the

chance to speak with you.

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Joshua: I appreciate it as well, and

I have to say, I have not had somebody

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from a dojo on my show yet, so you

have that honor, so thank you so

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much for being able to share a little

bit of your insights with us today.

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Robert, I noticed that you went to school

at Bucknell University, which was very

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close to where my grandmother grew up.

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She grew up around the Sunbury,

Shamokin Dam area in Pennsylvania,

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and I'm just curious, what led you,

just to start off, what led you into

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actually studying Japanese at Bucknell?

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I'm really curious about the backstory.

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Robert: The biggest influence is my father

was a Marine during World War II in Korea,

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and he fought on Iwo Jima against the

Japanese forces, and he always had a huge

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respect for the Japanese as warriors and

opponents, and he also had the experiences

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of teaching Jujutsu while he was in

the Marine Corps, so, somewhere along

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the line, just from knowing that, I had

always had as far back as I can remember,

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an interest in Japanese martial arts.

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I never had an opportunity to actually

train until I got to college, but

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the original source would have

been my father and his experiences.

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Joshua: Did your father mentor you and

actually teach you this growing up?

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Robert: Very little.

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A few things he had shown

me, but not too much at all.

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He wasn't really interested

in letting me do any kind of

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martial arts when I was younger.

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I'm not really sure why, but it didn't

become an opportunity for me until later.

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Joshua: I find that sometimes either

a father or mother shows you something

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and they want you to walk in your

footsteps, or they don't, and they

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want you to do something special in

your career, and I've had a variety of

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different people in the show that have

done that sort of thing that kind of

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create their own manifest destiny as I

like to call, it and speaking of that,

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you and I have something in common in

which we have both been civil servants.

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I'm actually a state government employee

for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and

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I noticed that you have had a rich career

in federal employment, and I was wondering

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if you could tell the audience a little

bit about what motivated you knowing that

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you worked over 40 years with the U.S.

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Navy.

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I was wondering if that gave you some

perspective and what you ultimately had

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started or had worked on at the dojo.

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Robert: There were some things that

I learned working for the government

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that I apply in managing my business,

but the main advantage to me in

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having worked for the government was

that it gave me more control over my

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personal life than a lot of careers do.

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If I had not had that control,

I would not have been able

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to start the dojo when I did.

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There's always some opportunity that

you have to do over time and you have

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to do this or have to travel for work,,

but that was really a minimal impact

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overall, so, I was very grateful for

the opportunity to work where I did.

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I had a successful career with

the Federal Civil Service.

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I worked, as you mentioned,

for the Navy as a logistician.

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I'm not especially into blowing

things up and hurting people.

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Joshua: Thank goodness.

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Robert: I kind of focused in my career

as to trying to help the people that

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were in the offices that I managed.

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I became a manager fairly early in

my career, and then always focused

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on trying to provide opportunities

and help other people get ahead in

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their lives more so than focusing

on the military aspects per se.

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Joshua: Was that with the civilian

population that you served or was it with

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other individuals in the Navy itself, so

those that were actually actively serving.

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Did you help both of those, and if

so, how did you actually do that?

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Robert: It was a limited extent

of helping active duty military

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in various positions that I had.

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I would have a military officer as

a deputy to my director role, and

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I did try to help them sometimes

with recommendations with higher up

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authorities; consideration for various

promotions or awards or things like that.

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Very limited opportunity to do that, but

when I had an opportunity I did act on it.

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Most of the time, it involved helping

civilian employees with either job

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progression, advancement, recommendations

for promotions to other positions.

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Those kinds of things were much more

typical in what I was able to do.

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Joshua: What would you say was the

most rewarding opportunity when you

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were doing that to help others that

you can think of, and you don't have

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to mention their name, but I'm just

curious of somebody that you made a big,

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strong impact on as a result of helping

them get to where they are, either

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yesterday or even today for that matter.

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Robert: Well, this is going to sound kind

of funny, but when the government created

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its newer retirement system, the old

system was civil service retirement, and

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then they brought in the federal employees

retirement system, and there was a huge PR

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push to get people to switch from the old

system into the new system, and I was a

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manager at that time, and everybody in my

office was asking me, "What should we do?

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What should we do?", and I said, "Well,

let's watch what Congress does, because

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those so and sos are not going to mess

with themselves", and Congress stayed

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in the old system, and so we all stayed

in the old system, and for the rest

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of my career, every time one of those

people was ready to retire, they found

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me, and thanked me for making that

recommendation because there's a reason

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they don't have the old system anymore

because it costs them too much money.

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Joshua: Yeah, and that's what

happened even to me for that matter.

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I thankfully did not get into a

newer system that they have nowadays.

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I'm actually in an older system because of

the start date of when that took effect,

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so I completely understand that, not only

from the federal aspect, from the state

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aspect as well, because I've had plenty of

years working even out of the retirement

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system for the state of Pennsylvania to

know better as well, so Robert, I noticed,

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and I even mentioned to the audience

that you had this award bestowed upon you

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at the highlight of your career, which

is the Navy Meritus Civilian Service

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Award, the third highest decoration.

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First off, congratulations on that

because that's a big deal for many

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people that have been able to do a

lot of great service, especially for

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government, but when you received that

award, tell me your thoughts and feelings

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about receiving that, because you seem

to be this sort of person to me that

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is very humble about it, and it's just

willing to do it for the common good.

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That's the impression I get,

but maybe you can correct me if

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I'm wrong about that assumption.

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Robert: Well, obviously

it was a huge honor.

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I only know a few people over my 40 year

career that received that award, and it

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was awarded on the basis of the actions

of my office in the last few years that

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I worked for the federal government, and

it's realistically more of a reflection

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on what the office produced as a team

than any individual action I did.

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I always try to focus on the individuals

in the office and making things as good

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for them as I could, because I always

believed that you're going to be in

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the office for eight or nine hours a

day trying to make it as pleasant and

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experience as possible was going to

result in higher productivity, more

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motivation, people going the extra

mile on stuff, so that's what I focused

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on, and I was successful in building

offices that had different focuses at

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different times, different aspects of

the overall operation, but I followed

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the same kind of general approach in each

of those instances, and that's what I

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was really recognized for in my career.

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I was not a technical expert on the

things that my offices did, but I

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was expert in creating an office of

experts that could get the job done.

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Joshua: That is so key, especially even

nowadays is it isn't just about me.

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It's about what everybody else is

going to contribute and provide to

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continue that work that needs to be

done, especially in public service.

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That is so important.

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I've had guests on this show that have

been on a variety of different parts

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of government, whether it's the patent

trademark office, even those that have

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worked the beat as a reporter reporting on

what's happened in Capitol Hill, and they

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have shared some of the same highlights

is that we all work together with not only

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the responsibilities and duties, but we

have to be able to empower those people

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to do that, which speaking of empowerment,

you started your dojo and I think that in

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itself is a very unique experience, so,

first off, I think the obvious question

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is, why start a dojo, and when did you

actually start it, because you have

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this successful federal civilian career.

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I'm wondering how that kind of interplayed

when do you actually start that, and

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how you got that all together, so

for those that need a reminder, your

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dojo is located in Mechanicsburg,

Pennsylvania, so literally right up

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the road from where my office is.

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I was wondering if you could

share a little bit about how

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you got started with that.

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Robert: Okay, so as I mentioned, I started

in karate when I was in college, and

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when I was home for the summers, I found

a different style of karate was local

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that I would train in when I was home for

the summers, and then I would train in

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the other style when I was at college.

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After graduating, I eventually started

to train more regularly at the local

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dojo, and that was the Ishinryu Karate

Club that was one of the oldest dojo

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in Pennsylvania that was founded by

Ralph Lindquist back in the early 60s.

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Training in that, I then reached the stage

of my first black belt, and continued

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to train in that style of karate,

which was a traditional Okinawan style.

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, The group of people that were

training eventually got into

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semi professional kickboxing and

we had a lot of fun doing that.

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This was back during the PKA days when

those kinds of matches were covered

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on ESPN and had a lot of attention.

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We actually had a fighter

appear on ESPN fights.

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My wife and I worked the corner for that

fight, so that was a lot of fun, too-

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Joshua: Wow.

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Robert: But this group of guys

morphed more into this kickboxing.

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They wanted to kind of re-engineer most

of the practices toward that, and I was

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resistant of that because I wanted really

to maintain the more traditional aspects.

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Kickboxing is a lot of fun, but it's not

a traditional martial art in that sense.

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It's focused on competition and winning,

which is not necessarily the primary

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emphasis in traditional training, so

as this developed, there were growing

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conflicts between what I was trying

to maintain, because at that point,

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the chief instructor was kind of semi

retired from instructing and had passed

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on to me the responsibility for running

the classes, so there was a bit of

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a tension in what was happening with

trying to hold things traditional and

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other people wanting to go modern, and

it eventually just reached a point where

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it wasn't viable to continue in that.

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My senior student and I, and our wives,

were all training in karate at that time.

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That's how I met my wife at that

dojo, which was meeting at the

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Harrisburg Central Branch Y.

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If things just kind of reached ahead

and we decided it wasn't worth the

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stress of knowing that during class,

you're going to have to essentially

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defend yourself for real at some point

because somebody's going to take a shot

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just to try to prove a point, so then

in:

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and another factor in that was a couple

years prior to that, I had started

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to train in Japanese swordsmanship

at a school in Washington, D.

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C., and that made a huge impact on

me in a lot of ways, and ultimately,

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I wanted to be able to do things the

way I thought they should be done.

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That's the bottom line, but I thought

it was more valuable, to other people

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as well to have the opportunity to train

in a traditional way, so that's what

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kind of led to the founding of the dojo.

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When we founded the dojo, my

senior student was part owner

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of a building in Camp Hill.

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Ironically, his boss had also trained

in that same karate dojo in the early

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60s, and he was not happy that we left

that club, and at that time, the second

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floor of the building was just empty.

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It was nothing there, so it was

available and he said, "Okay.

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You can use the second floor for

two weeks, and then you got to find

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something.", so we were there for seven

and a half years, and he eventually

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thought of the dojo as his dojo.

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This was Mr.

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William Campbell, who was the president of

a food brokerage that had that building,

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and he would always, eventually, have

any potential clients coming into the

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office would be taken up to the second

floor to see the dojo, and it actually

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resulted in someone signing a contract

with them because the guy was a karate

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black belt, and he was, "Oh, yeah.

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Anybody that has their own dojo,

that's who I'm doing business with.",

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so that's how the dojo got started.

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Joshua: Wow.

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That is actually pretty cool to hear

in terms of how it all came about,

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because I think we all have these unique

stories of, "Well, this is how it got

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started for me.", and I think that for

what you and your senior student were

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doing, I think that helped to accentuate

not just what we traditionally hear

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about karate, but also what you have

learned in Japanese swordsmanship, so

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I actually want to distinguish this

right now because I'm sure my listeners

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are thinking of these movies that have

all this different mixed martial arts

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and different types of techniques;

samurais and things of that nature.

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Tell us the real story, though, as to what

you provide at the dojo that relates to

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these different skills that you teach your

students, because I find it to be that

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we have a misconception of what that is,

and I feel that you can set the record

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straight for us as to what you provide

and how that's different from the movies.

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Robert: Okay.

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Over time, we've had opportunity to

train with some of the top people in

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the world in the older martial arts.

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Japanese kind of distinguish between

Korryu, or old school, martial arts

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that were up, until the time of

the samurai being disestablished,

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which really wasn't up until 1876.

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Prior to that, we would say,

okay, the schools were Korryu.

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They were old traditions coming

out of the warring states period.

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After that, it's more Gendai Budo,

which is the more modern things

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like Judo, Karate, Kyudo, more arts

that have transitioned to focusing

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on personal development, rather

than on the defense of the clan and

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being able to kill other people,

so that's the distinguishing thing.

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In swordsmanship, we had opportunity

to train with various people over

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the course of the dojo history.

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We've had like a number of black

swan events that forced us to

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stop training with somebody and

try to find another way to go.

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Through this all, one of the things I

always talk about the dojo is we have

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found over time that the group training

together is the most important thing,

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and the arts that we've trained in

have changed over the years, but having

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the group, the group supporting each

other, having something worthwhile to

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do and pursue in this developmental

context of what these arts provide,

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is the most important thing, so

as for swordsmanship now, we're

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training in Muso Jikiden Eishinryu.

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That means peerless, direct

transmission, true faith style.

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It was found about 450 years ago

by a gentleman named Hayashizaki.

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Like a lot of people in that

time frame, we're talking

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like mid 1500s to early 1600s.

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It's more mythology at

this point than anything.

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A lot of the details of these individuals

lives are not well documented and have

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been embellished a lot over the years,

but it was a real person and he did,

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having spent some time at a particular

shrine in Yamagata Prefecture, had some

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inspiration to start a new school of

swordsmanship that focused on drawing

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the sword, going into an immediate

action, so that is what the Aido is known

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for; drawing the sword into an initial

cut or a block or something like that.

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It would have been developed for guarding

against surprise attacks and things

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like that, whereas Kenjutsu is more

of a style of swordsmanship that the

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swords are out, you know you're going

to get in trouble, you might be going

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into a battle, you might be going into

a duel, but the swords are out and the

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engagement happens from that point, so

that's how the arts between Iaido and

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Kenjutsu, how those are differently

structured, and the kind of the focus,

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but it's fair to say that most traditional

schools have elements of both, but what

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we're training in now is a Shinryu.

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We train under Nicholas Sueno sensei,

who has a dojo in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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He is essentially a Budo Renaissance man.

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I've known him for a long time, but

didn't get to meet him in person until

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just a few years ago, and once we met,

we were still involved in a different

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organization at that point, and I made

a joke at the end of a seminar weekend

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that if our current organization ever

blows up, I would probably apply to

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become his Japanese martial arts center

east, and that's exactly what happened.

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The organization blew up and we eventually

started to train with Sueno sensei and

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now we have moved into training with

him in a style of jujutsu that his

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teachers have preserved as well, so the

dojo is now functioning at a level it

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has never functioned in the past, and

I'm very grateful for the opportunities

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that have been presented to us, and

at some point we can talk a little bit

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about just what these are to do offer

for people that are trained in them.

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Joshua: Yeah, I actually had that

thought as you were describing each

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of those techniques, which thank you.

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That actually made me learn a lot about

it because there's definitely a deep

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respect of the arts and how they are

coveted and used even in today's modern

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standard, but you said something that

was even unique in itself, too, that

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even if it blows up, I know that there's

somebody I can count on, and I think

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that's important too, that this sort

of framework, what we're trying to do,

313

:

whether it is becoming the best version

of ourselves, which is what I try to work

314

:

on with the emotional mental impacts.

315

:

You are physically training in

that, which has a effect in the

316

:

emotional aspects of it as well.

317

:

Robert: Absolutely.

318

:

Joshua: So that's actually what I

want to ask you is how do these arts

319

:

help others, and I would love to hear

your personal perspective because

320

:

I know that you've been training in

this obviously for over 30 years, so

321

:

I wondering if it's had some positive

effects for you too that you can share.

322

:

Robert: Yeah, I'm just shy of 50

years in these arts at this point.

323

:

Joshua: Good point.

324

:

I was thinking of only

the business, so yeah-

325

:

Robert: Yeah.

326

:

No, because I was decades

before that dojo was started.

327

:

To take the example of a Shinryu, this

style of Iaido that we're training in,

328

:

a lot of the training is solo forms

and you're using a weapon called an

329

:

Iaito, which is an alloy bladed Japanese

sword that cannot be sharpened, and

330

:

that was developed after World War II.

331

:

Originally, these arts were practiced

with live swords; real steel, sharp

332

:

three foot butcher knives, and we have

those in the dojo as well, but after the

333

:

occupation forces took over in Japan, and

people were not allowed to be using real

334

:

swords, in order to continue to train,

they had to develop something that the

335

:

occupation forces would accept, so they

developed these alloy bladed training

336

:

weapons that are non functional as a

weapon, but they're really delightful

337

:

to use for this style of training.

338

:

They've put a huge amount of effort

into the development of these swords.

339

:

They're perfectly balanced.

340

:

They're really, really pleasant to use,

so a lot of the training is in solo forms,

341

:

but there is also paired forms using

wooden swords that are more interactive

342

:

between two people so that you get an

idea of the distancing and timing and

343

:

things of how these would have actually

been used, but especially when you're

344

:

doing the solo forms that are the core

of the art, it really comes down to

345

:

structure in terms of physical structure.

346

:

It ultimately is about the generation

and application of power, but in

347

:

order to do that, you have to have

physical structure that's optimized

348

:

for a particular purpose, so it's very

defined in terms of what the ideal is.

349

:

Now the actual structure individual to

individual may change a little bit just

350

:

because of different body types and length

of limbs and things like that, but the

351

:

template does not change what you're

striving for is set, and that process of

352

:

trying to manifest an idealized structure

and movement pattern is very, very mental.

353

:

It's obviously tremendous physical

exercise, but it is very intense

354

:

mental exercise, because you have to

understand and visualize the pattern

355

:

that you're trying to achieve, and

that kind of repetitive over years

356

:

of time, of configuring yourself in

very specific ways, carries over into

357

:

a lot of other things that you do.

358

:

It makes you generally more organized,

more observant, more sensitive to

359

:

your own body and what you feel,

so there's all kinds of outcomes

360

:

directly just from what would appear

to be an overtly physical process.

361

:

Joshua: I think people oftentimes just

think of only the physical aspects, not

362

:

the actual ramifications of the good

things that come out of this, and to

363

:

reiterate this question, it sounds like

to me that you have been able to focus.

364

:

You've been able to be more sensitive.

365

:

You've been able to be more

organized as a result of doing this.

366

:

Is that true?

367

:

Robert: Yeah, absolutely, and you

can also very strongly emphasize the

368

:

fact that none of this stuff is easy.

369

:

When people join the

dojo, I tell them, "Look.

370

:

I don't know what your back story is.

371

:

I don't know what you've been through in

your life, but I'm willing to bet that

372

:

undertaking this training is probably

going to be one of the most difficult, if

373

:

not the most difficult, thing you've ever

attempted to do.", and, as a corollary

374

:

to that, I usually say, "So whatever you

think this is going to be, it isn't, and

375

:

it's going to be a shock to the system,

so promise yourself that you're going to

376

:

get through three months, at a minimum,

no matter what, and at the end of three

377

:

months, if you just don't like it, that's

fine, because it's not for everyone, but

378

:

by that time you have a fair assessment

of what it's about and what it can do for

379

:

you", and usually if people persist to

that point, they're good to go, and they

380

:

will train for an extended period of time.

381

:

One of the things that comes out of

the training, because of the element

382

:

of discomfort with it, whether it's

the Iaido or the Jujutsu or any of the

383

:

other traditional arts, you get used to

dealing with discomfort, which then is

384

:

hugely valuable, especially in an office

environment, because so much of any given

385

:

day, you're dealing with stuff that's

not fun, and doesn't make you feel great

386

:

necessarily, but if you have a greater

capacity for putting up with stuff in the

387

:

pursuit of a larger goal, that pays off.

388

:

Joshua: I can't stress that enough, and I

was literally thinking about the fact that

389

:

I could see how this has so many benefits,

whether you are an office worker,

390

:

whether you are on a factory production

floor, or even a distribution center.

391

:

It takes mental focus and clarity

sometimes, even with the mundane that you

392

:

might do, this is a lot more challenging

than just doing those sort of things.

393

:

It is something that it takes great

discipline in doing, which I want to

394

:

lead with this with the audience, Robert,

because you mentioned this on your

395

:

website, and I just want to read it to you

just in case you need to have a reminder

396

:

of what this says, but this is under

somebody that is interested in being a

397

:

member, which if you want to check out

the website, I'll have it in the episode

398

:

notes for the listeners, but you say

that, "The arts are about becoming more

399

:

than you were the day before, becoming

more in ways that have the potential

400

:

to affect, in a very positive manner,

virtually every aspect of your life.

401

:

The practical, effective self defense

skills you will gain are almost a side

402

:

benefit.", so I find that statement to be

so revolutionary because most people are

403

:

thinking, "Well, I'm going to go learn how

to defend myself", but you're saying, "No.

404

:

That isn't what this is about."

405

:

I'm wondering if you can clarify for

the audience what this truly is, if they

406

:

would to take on any of the different

styles of Japanese swordsmanship that

407

:

you have mentioned here throughout the

show today that would be helpful for

408

:

people to reflect on, especially if

they want to engage in such an activity.

409

:

Robert: I will preface it by saying

that the ability to defend yourself

410

:

is a aspect that you will gain

in these arts, depending on how

411

:

you train and what you train in.

412

:

That is an outcome, and even in

something as unlikely as swordsmanship,

413

:

I know individuals who, as first

responders, had to defend themselves

414

:

using sword techniques against

an armed attack, because they

415

:

had an implement in their hands.

416

:

In one case, one of the aluminum

flashlights that are about

417

:

two and a half feet long.

418

:

Objects that are about the same

size and shape as a sword, people

419

:

have used them in self defense.

420

:

It's more likely in unarmed cases and

whatnot but that is an obvious outcome.

421

:

The thing is, though, the

process of gaining those skills.

422

:

is what transforms people because of the

kinds of things you have to put yourself

423

:

through in order to become proficient

in those practical, defensive skills.

424

:

One of the most important

things people learn is what's

425

:

called ukemi, or receiving body.

426

:

That's the skills needed to get down

in one piece when somebody throws you,

427

:

because realistically, thank heavens,

most people are not going to face a

428

:

critical physical assault in their

lives, but 100%, they're going to

429

:

trip and fall and being able to land

in one piece is incredibly useful.

430

:

I know that I've slipped on ice and

fallen, but just get up and dust off

431

:

because I fell, happily, correctly.

432

:

I know people that have fallen from

a height or been thrown from a horse

433

:

that were able to execute ukemi and

get up and dust off, so that is one

434

:

of the most important things that you

can learn how to do, but we've spoken

435

:

about some of the not so obvious

outcomes mentally and emotionally.

436

:

I would also say that in terms of jujitsu,

when you are training in contact with

437

:

another person, there's a high degree

of sensitivity that has to be developed

438

:

and there also has to be considerable

consideration for the other person.

439

:

In most punching and kicking arts,

you're not actually striking into

440

:

somebody's body, if you're wearing

protective equipment and things like that.

441

:

People can spar with contact, but a

lot of times, you're not really putting

442

:

serious power into somebody else.

443

:

In practicing jujutsu, though, you're

practicing the actual technique that is,

444

:

in some cases, designed to dislocate a

joint or break something serious, and

445

:

the way that you practice safely is to

be sensitive to what you're doing and

446

:

considerate of the other person and

clearly aware of what you're doing and

447

:

what the potential outcomes would be if

you mess it up, so it's a form of intimacy

448

:

in a sense that you are dependent on the

other person, to a large degree, for your

449

:

own safety, because you're doing things

in establishing the scenario, if you

450

:

will, of where that technique would occur.

451

:

You are, as the quote unquote attacker,

you're putting yourself in a vulnerable

452

:

position, and purely for the sake of

your partner being able to train, and

453

:

that builds a camaraderie, and a close

relationship that is different than

454

:

what's developed in a lot of other

kind of physical activities and sports.

455

:

Joshua: That's what makes your dojo,

that makes what your career has been,

456

:

completely different from what other

people have had even on the show.

457

:

I can think of the mental, the medical

benefits of people on the show, even

458

:

small business centers around where

you are, Robert, that promote that

459

:

and help that, and I think you're

doing all those awesome things.

460

:

I'm going to give you the

last few minutes here, Robert.

461

:

I would love for you to talk about where

people can reach out if they're interested

462

:

in checking out the dojo, especially

if they live in the south central PA

463

:

area, or maybe they just want to connect

with you, get some more of this awesome

464

:

insight that you provided today and they

have some questions about some of the

465

:

techniques that you have discussed today.

466

:

Can you give us some information

of how we would be able to reach

467

:

out to you, and I'll give you

the last few minutes to do that.

468

:

Robert: Okay.

469

:

Well, the easiest way is

through the dojo website.

470

:

It's ittendojo.org, and there is a

contact form right on the homepage.

471

:

That's the easiest way

to get in touch with me.

472

:

My email addresses are listed

on the website as well.

473

:

There is a Facebook page, there's

Instagram accounts, there's Twitter.

474

:

We try to reach out across

multiple avenues of social media.

475

:

Just googling Itten Dojo is going

to find all kinds of references

476

:

to us right off the bat.

477

:

Joshua: I think that that is so

important to be able to find that

478

:

connection, that team, that group

of people that are disciplined.

479

:

They want to work on that discipline, and

I have to comment on the fact, Robert,

480

:

that you're doing something that I've had

many different types of fitness people.

481

:

We talked about Noah before the show

and Noah's been on episode number

482

:

six for those that are interested in

checking out another fitness owner,

483

:

but yours is not just about fitness.

484

:

It's about growing educationally, mentally

with discipline along with the physical

485

:

benefits that go with it, and I feel

like for that reason, you definitely

486

:

are the wise sage, if I were to give you

a nickname as it comes to that, I feel

487

:

like I've learned so much today just from

hearing this and imparting some of it, and

488

:

you dispelled a lot of different things

that I've had about some misconceptions,

489

:

overall, about how this all works and

how we can become better in those sort

490

:

of things, and for all those reasons

alone, Robert, I want to thank you so

491

:

much for being on Speaking From The Heart.

492

:

Thank you for sharing

your heart with us today.

493

:

It was really a privilege to have this

great conversation and congratulations

494

:

on all the stuff that you've done

throughout your life and continue to do.

495

:

It's incredible work.

496

:

Robert: Well, thank you very much, and

if I have just one last word, I would

497

:

dispel another fear that people have.

498

:

The membership of the dojo

is incredibly diverse.

499

:

It's everywhere from mid

teens to mid seventies.

500

:

Many people that have never done

anything athletic in their lives,

501

:

including women that have never done

sports or anything else, the dojo

502

:

is a very welcoming environment.

503

:

It's surprisingly so to many people.

504

:

I've heard multiple people after

they started to train say, "I can't

505

:

believe how friendly everybody is

and how much fun this is and how

506

:

welcoming.", but I mentioned earlier

that martial arts are not for everyone

507

:

in the sense that some people just

don't care for it, but they are for

508

:

everyone, anybody can take advantage

of martial arts training, and the only

509

:

real qualification you need to get to

be a black belt is pure stubbornness

510

:

Joshua: There.

511

:

That's a line to end with: be stubborn and

you'll be able to grow in many different

512

:

ways, and even with people that are

like minded and in the environment that

513

:

is open and friendly, so I love that.

514

:

Thanks again, Robert, really

appreciate you having on the show.

515

:

Robert: Thank you, Joshua.

516

:

Joshua: I want to thank Robert again

for the opportunity to interview him,

517

:

and I encourage anybody that's in

the Mechanicsburg area to check out

518

:

Itten Dojo, because it is certainly an

experience unlike any other, and I had

519

:

told Robert even afterwards that I would

be interested in interacting in one of his

520

:

classes that would allow visitors to be

able to participate and see what this is

521

:

all about, but I really am left with this

big overarching question to start out.

522

:

Who motivates you and

what you have become?

523

:

Robert and I have certainly some

interesting interplays between our federal

524

:

and state civil service careers, whether

it's really related or not is a whole

525

:

other discussion in itself, but really

what I find interesting about what he's

526

:

been able to do is that he's taken his

40 plus years, while doing the dojo,

527

:

and has been helping others through a

variety of different instructors, let

528

:

alone senseis for that matter, to be

able to provide a different array of best

529

:

recommendations and best practices to the

students that go through that program.

530

:

All kinds of different types of

swordsmanship, in itself, is something

531

:

that you normally don't think about

in South Central Pennsylvania, let

532

:

alone maybe even in the cultural

sense of what we've been able to

533

:

fantasize about, even in movies,

television, and other sort of mediums.

534

:

Yes, I mentioned earlier, in the beginning

of this episode, about The Karate Kid.

535

:

Mr.

536

:

Miyagi, and even Daniel san for that

matter, have been always inspirations for

537

:

me, and even into the recent adaptation

of Cobra Kai, that was featured originally

538

:

on YouTube, and then was premiered

onto Netflix, but, it isn't what we

539

:

are talking about here today, and by

all means, I don't think I want to give

540

:

any disrespect to the fact that Mr.

541

:

Wolfe, let alone his team, have provided

a team oriented atmosphere that creates

542

:

self discipline, self acknowledgement,

but focus, because when we produce that

543

:

focus, whether we connect it with all

the pieces of our separate lives into one

544

:

atmosphere where we discipline ourselves

to stay on track, especially with handling

545

:

a weapon that can cause severe injuries,

it can create such a big difference in

546

:

life or death, and I certainly don't

want to be on the receiving end of

547

:

somebody that was not paying attention

and was carelessly swinging their

548

:

sword around, but I think that we have

that happen to us every single day.

549

:

No, we're not carrying swords, and we're

not usually carrying weapons for that

550

:

matter, which unfortunately has become

such an epidemic in America and parts of

551

:

the overall world, but I think that we

need to start to take a big step back and

552

:

start thinking about what are the things

that actually make us swing our swords.

553

:

Usually we're swinging words around,

whether we are on social media, whether

554

:

we're face to face with someone that

has aggravated us, or we're just

555

:

overly frustrated and we just want

to get something out of our minds,

556

:

but is that really being focused?

557

:

Is that really being disciplined,

and as a matter of fact, is that

558

:

really a good technique to be using,

especially when you're trying to work

559

:

through all kinds of different issues?

560

:

The art of personal development, which

I specialize in, is essentially the

561

:

growth that we can have through our

self worth by not only identifying what

562

:

we have inside of ourselves, but also

around us, and I think that Robert's dojo

563

:

essentially creates that opportunity in

group settings to do exactly what I do on

564

:

an individual, and sometimes team basis.

565

:

Having that peerless direct translation of

faith allows us to create techniques that

566

:

we're trying to create and grow in, which

is essentially who we're trying to look

567

:

at, which thus, goes back to my original

question, who are we looking up to,

568

:

but when we practice and we create that

interaction with others, especially with

569

:

what Robert provides in this atmosphere

that is seriously of vast interest, can

570

:

allow us to focus, grow, and gain strength

in ways in which we might not otherwise

571

:

gain strength in Western culture.

572

:

The Eastern culture, especially with

the Chinese, the Hindus, and all kinds

573

:

of other sects and religions, have

really focused on the fact that if we

574

:

have meditation and focus in our lives,

and we pray carefully about these

575

:

sort of instances, we can certainly

make a big difference in our lives.

576

:

Now, I'm not advocating for you today to

pick up Japanese swordsmanship and start

577

:

swinging a sword around, because that's

not what this is all about, and if you're

578

:

a first time visitor to the show, you will

always hear me say that it isn't about

579

:

stuffing religion down someone's throat,

or even advocating or forcing somebody

580

:

to do something that they don't want to

do or they feel quite uncomfortable with.

581

:

I've had that happen to me time and time

again in my life, and I certainly would

582

:

not want that to happen to somebody else,

but if we think about the application

583

:

of power, the power in which we might

focus through a sword or some other

584

:

blunt instrument, and we start swinging

it around, obviously, the reaction,

585

:

especially if we're around human beings,

or even friends or family members for that

586

:

matter, will certainly be quite concerned

about why we're swinging something around,

587

:

but isn't that what we're doing if we

use poor word choice, or if we don't

588

:

even consider the fact that other people

that are going through some of these

589

:

situations that we are struggling with,

might not feel quite comfortable being

590

:

able to discuss or even relate to us.

591

:

As a matter of fact, not only are we

hurting them, we're repelling them.

592

:

Mental and physical focus with

repetitiveness, by configuring not

593

:

only the organization, the sensitivity,

but also the focus that we provide,

594

:

can help us create those aspects of

our lives to be much better in the

595

:

overall grand scheme, but we have

to be aware of what we're doing.

596

:

If we're doing it carelessly and we're

not paying attention, we certainly

597

:

are going to hurt somebody, but I

think what makes this really important

598

:

is that we have to be practical.

599

:

We have to give ourselves that ability

to receive in the body and get it all

600

:

together by being able to understand

that every time that we make a

601

:

choice, it's either for or against.

602

:

I don't know if I have ever shared with

you the importance of why this is really

603

:

harsh in nature to not pay attention

to what is happening around you, but

604

:

I think back of the times in which I

was really struggling with my autism,

605

:

and no, I didn't have that idea of what

was going on in my life from a young

606

:

age, because as I mentioned in previous

episodes, my autism diagnosis came quite

607

:

late in life, but as I think about the

fact that when I ran out of classrooms,

608

:

acting out, and not appreciating what

teachers, and even the principal for

609

:

that matter, had to endure, I was using

a negative force that was not focused.

610

:

It was unbalanced.

611

:

It was creating disruptions not only

for myself, but for others around me.

612

:

It was later told to me that when

I ran out of classrooms sometimes,

613

:

I was actually smacking people, and

I don't even remember doing that.

614

:

Apparently I hurt a girl so badly

when I had one of my episodes,

615

:

that it really scared her, and

she never wanted to talk to me.

616

:

Now, later on in life, I was able to

make amends, and we actually had a good

617

:

friendship, and sometimes we have to

go through some of those trials and

618

:

those tribulations to really learn that

we need to be careful about what we're

619

:

saying, or even doing for that matter.

620

:

As a child, that's why discipline becomes

so important, and I'm not advocating that

621

:

you smack your child because that's not

something that I would really recommend.

622

:

Other people in the old days

would certainly say that, "Yes!

623

:

Corporal punishment is the

way to go.", but I'm not even

624

:

advocating for or against.

625

:

As a matter of fact, here at Speaking

From the Heart, I really want to

626

:

condone any sort of violence, because

violence in itself is not the answer,

627

:

and even Robert's discipline, at

his dojo, is not about violence.

628

:

It's really providing a different

alternative to the overall world

629

:

that we live in, and how we start to

address that, just like how we start

630

:

to address a goal that we have in

mind, means actually being focused.

631

:

If you are unfocused, and you're

not quite sure how to best move

632

:

forward, maybe doing a different

type of activity, such as Japanese

633

:

swordsmanship, might be the way to go.

634

:

Now, maybe that dojo is not close to you,

and you might not have the resources or

635

:

the opportunity to participate in quite

an experience just like what Robert's dojo

636

:

does provide, but I think that it's not

just about what we are able to provide to

637

:

ourselves, and it's not just about what

other people provide to us, which I've

638

:

always advocated in previous episodes.

639

:

If we want to have that inward peace and

that focus to be able to become something

640

:

that we never thought possible, it does

take a lot of discipline, but it doesn't

641

:

mean that you have a license to hurt other

people like James Bond does in many of

642

:

the movies that have also been televised.

643

:

It doesn't mean that you have

to be the Cobra Kai and beat the

644

:

crap out of every single type of

person that stands in your way.

645

:

When you think about the fact that

when you are disciplined, you're

646

:

learning so much more about who you

are and what you want to become.

647

:

It also means that you have that

direct translation of faith into the

648

:

techniques that you want to create,

not just for yourself, but what you

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:

will embody for the rest of your life.

650

:

One big thing about Robert's story

that we haven't even covered yet is

651

:

the fact that he served 40 years in

the military; more specifically, the U.

652

:

S.

653

:

Navy.

654

:

I think that experience certainly

translates into the bigger opportunities

655

:

that we could all have, because if

we live a disciplined life, even if

656

:

it's not with the United States Navy,

or maybe it's with some other type

657

:

of organization in which it helps us

to build our character and build the

658

:

relationships and all the opportunities

that we have for who we are as a person,

659

:

individually, I think that can make

such a big difference, not just in the

660

:

ways in which we swing our swords, let

alone swing our experience and our words

661

:

around, but helps us to stay organized,

makes us sensitive to what other people

662

:

have to say, and remain focused on

the overall goal or mission that we're

663

:

setting out to do, so don't go through

the same notions as everybody else.

664

:

Don't swing your swords around thinking

that you're going to make a big difference

665

:

by threatening others with force.

666

:

You have to be aware of what you're doing.

667

:

Not only does it help you create that

opportunity for yourself, not only

668

:

does it help you with getting best

recommendations or best practices,

669

:

but I think that leading that sort of

life where you can meditate and focus

670

:

on what the bigger picture is can

help motivate you on not just what you

671

:

should become, but also help you create

that impact that you always wanted to

672

:

make, and even with that sword that you

might be utilizing, just put it away.

673

:

Knowing the skill is more important

than actually using it, because even

674

:

as what Daniel san was taught by Mr.

675

:

Miyagi in The Karate Kid, it's not just

about what you are utilizing, but it's

676

:

about what you're learning that you

can pass along to others, and I think

677

:

learning is such a lifelong gift to give.

678

:

instead of just hurting others.

679

:

Pain is not the ultimate reward.

680

:

Pain does not exist in your

dojo, and neither should it

681

:

exist anywhere in this world.

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:

Thanks for listening to episode

number 104 of Speaking from the

683

:

Heart, and I look forward to

hearing from your heart very soon.

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:

Outro: Thanks for listening.

685

:

For more information about our podcast

and future shows, search for Speaking From

686

:

The Heart to subscribe and be notified

wherever you listen to your podcasts.

687

:

Visit us at www.yourspeakingvoice.biz

for more information about potential

688

:

services that can help you create

the best version of yourself.

689

:

See you next time.

About the Podcast

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Speaking From The Heart
Your Speaking Voice LLC's Business Podcast

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About your host

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Joshua Smith

Joshua D. Smith is the Owner and Founder of Your Speaking Voice, a life coaching, business coaching, and public speaking company based in Carlisle, PA. Serving clients across the world, Joshua got his start in personal/professional development and public speaking in April of 2012 through his extensive involvement in an educational non-profit organization called Toastmasters International.

Toastmasters International operates clubs both domestically and internationally that focus on teaching leadership, development, and public speaking skills. Joshua quickly excelled in Toastmasters International and found that he had a passion for leadership and helping others find their confidence and their true "speaking voice". Joshua has held all club officer roles and most District level positions in Toastmasters International and belongs to numerous clubs throughout the organization. Joshua has also been recognized as two-time Distinguished Toastmaster, the highest award the organization bestows for achievement in leadership and communication.

Outside of his community involvement, education is something that Joshua has always taken great pride in. His academic achievements include a number of degrees from Alvernia and Shippensburg University. He earned a Bachelor's degree in political science and communications from Alvernia in 2009, a masters of business administration from Alvernia in 2010, and later a masters in public administration from Shippensburg in 2014.

In the professional world, Joshua has held multiple positions with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for over 14 years which includes a variety of data analytics, procurement, budgeting, business process improvement (IT and non-IT), legal compliance, and working with the blind. He has applied his public speaking and development skills in the professional world to tackle numerous public speaking engagements and presentations from all levels of the organization, including executive management.

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