Rick
Berry’s Stepping
Off The Mat follows his remarkable 40+ year long martial arts
career from karate and taekwondo ultimately to Kokikai Aikido. During
this journey, Sensei Berry has acquired quite a few pearls of wisdom
which he generously shares with us through this book. I have had the
pleasure of training with Sensei Berry on several occasions over the
past 8 years and I have always been impressed with the tremendous
intensity and the irrepressible positivity that he brings to the mat.
These qualities also come shining through in this book that is as much
about martial arts training as it is about Berry’s answer to the
fundamental question that all martial artists (and all human beings)
struggle to answer: How am I going to Live?
Too
often we do not apply what we preach and practice. Too often, what we
practice is not practical or grounded in our daily reality. For most
of us, our "daily reality" does not reasonably include
intentionally squaring off against known violence. However, it does
usually include conflict on many levels and from many viewpoints, as
well as several layers of often disturbing emotional content.
Sensei
Rick Berry has intentionally and successfully structured his martial
discipline to revolve around core principles that are equally
effective whether contemplating and responding to an exercise on the
mat, pursuing your career, being confronted in a bar, or being jumped
on a city street. He realized early that there is no fundamental
difference between any aspect or experience of life. The result is
that his approach is equal parts of how and why an attack and response
actually work, and the proper frame of mind and emotional state
before, during and after.
"Stepping
off the Mat" encapsulates this effective and necessary approach
rather beautifully. Like aikido itself, the writing is relaxed,
elegant and full of "leading" principles. Rick Sensei
explains by prose and parable that the mind and spirit are your first
order of business; the body will then follow. As a practical example,
would you guess that when Rick Sensei honestly speaks of practical
harmony in the midst of controversy that he is also one of the most
effective strikers you will ever meet? He would tell you that as his
mind, body and spirit have cultivated greater relaxation over the
years, his deliverable power has also increased. I know this as direct
fact--his "soft" punches penetrate so deeply while
delivering so much power, it literally takes days for a bruise to
form, even though the recipient is immediately incapacitated.
"Stepping
off the Mat" is an accessible road map to the path of an eminent
martial artist. We could all be rather proud of ourselves if we could
cultivate but a portion of Rick Sensei's skills and understanding. A
thorough understanding of "why" you do what you do is the
first and perhaps most important step for any pursuit. Rick Sensei has
chosen to share his path and his vision. Your study of his work and
his approach is more than well worth the time. You should expect that
it will open many doors and illuminate many paths for your own future
studies.
In
Stepping Off the Mat, Sensei Rick Berry writes not so much about
martial arts technique, but how his training and his mindset extends
throughout everything he does. Initially, I held off on writing about
this book because I wanted to finish it. This was foolish of me,
because while I have read the last page of this book, I don’t think
I will ever truly “finish” it.
This
book shares a similar trait to books such as The
Book of Five Rings. By that I mean: you do not pick it up, read it
over the course of a weekend, and then put it back on the shelf. No,
this book you pick up, read a little, sit down, think for a great
while, and then pick up again a little later–maybe reading a new
passage, maybe re-reading the same passage you had read earlier. What
I have enjoyed about this book is that it is not just an “aikido”
book. (In fact, Sensei Berry has a great deal of martial arts
experience beyond aikido.) It is a book of emotion, intellect, and
thought. It is a book in which you can tell Sensei Berry has infused
his passion and his life-philosophy.
I
have always been fascinated with how the written word might be used to
express some of the deep concepts that underly Aikido–that underly
all martial arts. Stepping
Off the Mat is the best example I have read in which these
thoughts and concepts are articulated and discussed. Sensei Berry even
provides many examples of where these thoughts came from. The entire
book is filled with stories about his training, his teaching, and his
life.
I
think that some folks tend to look at books like these and hope that,
by reading them, some sort of enlightenment may be found. I don’t
think that Sensei Berry wrote this book in an attempt to
“enlighten” anyone. However, I do think he wrote it to give those
who read it the opportunity to enlighten themselves.
I
am grateful that Sensei Berry took the time to write this book. I look
forward to reading it repeatedly for many years to come.
I
have studied under Master Rick Berry for over 10 years, and his book
"Stepping Off The Mat" is a must read for true martial
artists. It's an inspiring-philosophical-introspective of Master
Berry's life journey to positively impact and transform others via the
edification of their mind, body and spirit.
"Stepping
Off The Mat" is a true American tale of triumph, heartache, and
absolute commitment to the pursuit of excellence.
Michael
Robinson, M.S. Counseling
*
Minister - Sharon Baptist Church
*
Radio Talk Show Host - WDAS 1480AM
*
Adjunct Professor - Eastern University
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