MASASHI SHIKAI ~ The Power of Believing

四海正志 ~ 信念的力量

作者：Jose M. Fraguas

译者：东莞一心剑道馆 李伯璋 

Masashi Shikai head instructor of Chuo Kendo Dojo (7 Dan and one of the last students of the legendary Kendo master, Torao Mori Sensei)) gives an interview to Masters Martial Arts Magazine about the art of Kendo and how the USA Team made history defeating the Japanese Team during the 13 World Championship in Taipei, Taiwan.

四海正志（剑道七段，亦是带有传奇色彩的剑道导师森寅雄先生的最后一批学生之一。）是中央剑道道场的首席师范，在接受《精武》（Maters Martial Arts）杂志采访时介绍了剑道和美国队如何在台湾台北市举办的第13届世界剑道锦标赛中击败日本队的经过。

Sensei Masashi Shikai was one of the last students of the legendary Kendo master, Torao Mori Sensei.He started his training at Chuo Kendo Dojo in 1964, at age of 15.He became a member of USA Team for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th World Kendo Championships and the Team Captain at the 6th World Championship, and was a Manager of Team USA at the 13th World Kendo Championship, among many other great accomplishments in the sportive aspect of the art. When stationed in South Korea with the United States Army, Sensei Shikai trained at the famous Songyon-Kwan University in Seoul, from which he has a great memories.

四海正志先生是传奇剑道导师森寅雄先生的最后一批学生之一。他于1964年15岁时就开始在中央剑道道场接受剑道训练。他在剑道运动生涯中取得了举世瞩目的成绩，曾是第一届，第二届，第三届，第四届剑道世界锦标赛美国国家队队员，在第六届世界剑道锦标赛中担任美国国家队队长，在第十三届世界剑道锦标赛中担任美国国家队领队。在跟随美军在南韩驻军时，四海先生在汉城著名的成均馆大学接受培训，并在那里留下了许多美好的回忆。

His personality and charisma are second to none, and with a strong presence. he reminds all martial artists the most important lesson in Budo,&nbsp;<br /> "When you start something, finish it. Don't give up when difficulties or problems arise, because they will test your willpower and determination in life. Do your best to find a solution and work it out, being creative. But above everything else... do not make excuses. Making excuses is not acceptable for a true man of Budo because at every moment you have to be giving your best, and when you give your very best, there is no need for excuses. That is the Samurai spirit."<br /> 他拥有一流的品格和非凡的魅力以及坚定的仪表，且始终记得对于所有武道修习大师来说最为重要的训诫：“有始有终，当困难和问题接踵而至时永不放弃，这将考验你的毅力和决心。竭尽所能地去寻找办法去冲开困局，保持创造力。但最为重要的是——不要寻找借口。对于一个真正的武者来说，任何时候都不会去寻找理由和借口，必须随时都奉献出你最好的一面。正因为永远都奉献出完美的一面，所以你不需要任何借口。这就是武士的精神。”

Sensei, when did you start training in Kendo? 

先生，请问您何时开始剑道的修习？

I started training kendo at age of 15 in junior high school. My parents had a restaurant and there was an American man who used to come to the restaurant every day. I was there helping my parents with some of the responsibilities at work. He told me about the idea of checking a Kendo school.The school was not really far from my house, very close actually, like only five or six blocks away. I thought it was a good idea and we went. We really loved it and asked the Sensei to borrow a shinai for practice. He gave us a couple of techniques to practice , like how to swing and the basic footwork. We truly enjoyed this training session so we went back. Sometime later, I did find out that this dojo had a very good reputation and was there more than 50 years. It has a great history. During that time there were only classes on Thursday evening. No other day was a kendo class. We kept going back once a week and I never stopped.

我从15岁上初中的时候就开始修习剑道了。我父母当时在开一个餐馆，而我在餐馆里帮忙做点事情。有一天，一个经常光顾的美国人来到我们餐馆，告诉了我一些他在参观过一家剑道道场之后的想法。其实这家道场离我家不远，实际上非常近，大概就是5~6个街区的距离。我当时觉得他的主意不错，于是我们就一同去了。我们真的很喜欢剑道，并请先生借给我们一支竹剑进行练习。 先生当时传授一些基本的练习技巧，比如如何挥剑和基本步法。我们真的很喜欢这些训练课程，所以下次又接着去上课。后来，我才发现这家到场原来在剑道界拥有很高的声望和50多年的悠久历史。当时只有星期四晚上开课，其他时间不开课，于是我们继续坚持参加每周一次的练习，而且我从来没有缺席过。

Who was the instructor at the time?

 当时那位指导老师是谁？

At the time , the instructor was Torao Mori Sensei. He was very famous and highly respected among kendo people. Of course, we didn't know about this and didn't understand what that actually meant. I really owe a lot to Mori Sensei because he is responsible for me to continuing training and practicing the art of Kendo. He was a very influential figure to me as a teenager and after. 

当时的指导老师是森寅雄先生。他在剑道界拥有很高的知名度和声望，当然，我们当时根本不知道这些，也不明白这些意味着什么。我衷心地感激森寅雄老师多年以来对我的剑道孜孜不倦的教育和栽培。他对我当时一个十几岁的小年轻以及后来的人生都影响深远。

How would you describe the art of Kendo? 

您觉得什么是剑道？

Kendo is an art that involves a lot of action. But when it comes to the technical aspect of it, the emphasis on the basics is paramount. The movements may look simple at first sight but that is the real secret of the art. We learn how to swing, the proper footwork, right posture, the block, etc. ... and basically we have the " essentials " of the art. Than we have to go and repeat of those thousands of times, over and over again. They have to become a "reflex" action. This is the true idea of any martial art system, but in kendo it is a little bit different because we have to use a weapon, the shinai. And we have to convert the "weapon" into an extension of our own body. This makes it a little more difficult to master.

剑道是一门包含很多层面的“艺术”。如果仅仅从技术层面上来说，强调基础是至关重要的。那些动作第一眼看上去很简单，但这些才是这门艺术的奥秘所在。我们学习如何挥剑，适当的步法，正确的姿势，防御等等，当我们基本上掌握了这些“艺术的精华”之后，就必须通过千万次的重复练习将之训练成一种“反射动作”。这是所有武术系统的真谛，但是剑道稍有不同。原因在于我们必须使用武器——“竹剑”，我们必须将之当作自己身体的延伸，这使得剑道稍微较难掌握。

When did you decide to compete in tournaments?

您何时开始参加比赛？

 I got involved in competition in a very early stage of my training. After five or six months, my sensei asked me if I wanted to enter in a competition in San Jose, California. I really didn't know what I was getting into but I thought it could be fun. So I said, " why not?! " and I did go. What was really interesting that I won and got first place. I went there just to "try" and I actually won the tournament. Of course that was a very inspirational moment for me because I felt extremely good. It gave me extra motivation to keep training hard with a focused dedication. 

在我学习剑道不久就参加了一场比赛。学习剑道才5~6个月的时候，我的老师就问我是否有兴趣参加在加州圣荷西举办的一场剑道比赛。其实我当时根本不知道比赛是什么样子的，但我觉得这可能很好玩，于是就说“好啊”，就去参加了。真的非常意外，我居然得了第一名。其实我只是想去试一下的，结果居然赢得了这场比赛。当然，这对于我来说是一件非常鼓舞人心的事情，因为这感觉实在太棒了。这使我更加专心和刻苦地坚持练习。

How has the art and the sport evolved in the recent years?

剑道运动近年来发展得如何？

Kendo always has been an art and sport that represented Japan, due to different aspects of it. It always has been recognized internationally but definitely when I started it was not practiced and extended around the world the way it is now. Today, there are Kendo dojos all over the world. The technical level is excellent no matter what country you go to, and the talent of the practitioners are great all around. There is a great uniformity in the basics of the art. No matter where you go, the fundamentals are the same. It is later in training where we can see some differences in the way certain schools or instructors use these fundamentals , but these differences are not in the essential elements of the art. One year after Torao Mori Sensei passed away in 1969, the art and sports of kendo was reorganized in a way that more competitions were available to practitioners. Before then, the tournaments mostly were international only. Japan was the exception, of course. Even internationally at the time, there were over a dozen countries . Today, we have more than fifty countries involved in the international competition system. 

总的来说，剑道被认为是日本的国粹。这是一项国际化的运动，虽然当我刚开始练习的时候并没有像今天一样如此广泛流行。世界各地都有剑道道场，不论你去到那个国家，剑道的基本功是一样的，只是在修习的后期才会因为道场和指导者的不同而有些微的差别，但这些差别并不意味着基础性的差异。在1969年森寅雄先生辞世一年之后，剑道进行了一次更有竞技性和有利于修习者的改革。此前，只有国际间才有赛事（当然日本除外），虽说是国际间，实际上也只有十几个国家参与。目前，已经有50多个国家参与到这项国际赛事中来。

How different is Kendo compered to other Martial Arts?

与其他武术相比，剑道的修习难度怎么样？

It is very difficult to compare Kendo to other martial arts for several reasons. To begin with, there is something about the art that brings back the most traditional elements of Japan: the sword, the possibility of actual sparring with a weapon, etc. ... As I mentioned before, the fact that we use a weapon makes the art different from the others that use only the body to attack and defend.

因为某种原因，我们很难将剑道和其他武术进行比较。首先，剑道保留了日本最为传统的元素：武士刀，以及用之对打的练习形式等等。正如我原先说的那样，由于剑道使用武器于是与其他使用身体攻防的武术大相径庭。

Another aspect what makes kendo different is the uniform. The different elements and protectors we use for the head (man), hand (kote), and chest (do), including the hakama, makes this looks nice. When you combine all these things together the “external image” the practitioner is very " classy ". Of course you can have a very expensive hakama and gear and know absolutely nothing about the art. But there is a certain " class " in the way one is supposed to wear and walk with the Kendo uniform and gear that brings a " special " feeling to the art. Like and old Samurai spirit! There is an elegant combination of these traditional Japanese elements that brings the old warrior spirit to life. Of course, this may occur in all martial arts style, but I believe Kendo is one of those system where all the "external" appearances "breath" Budo.

另一个使剑道与众不同的原因是着装。我们拥有不同的着装和护具，保护头部的头盔（面MAN），保护手部的手套（甲手KOTE）和保护胸部的护甲（胴甲DO），包括剑道裤裙，非常帅气。当这些穿着组合在一起的时候，使得剑道练习者看起来独具韵味。当然，有些人可能穿着十分昂贵的道服和裤裙而根本不了解其中的文化，但如此穿着仍然具有一种特殊的品味，可以使人感受到她独特的文化魅力，正如传统的武士精神！这些独具日本传统文化特色的优雅着装，讲给你的生活带来一种传统的武者精神。当然，其他的武术体系可能也有类似的元素，但我认为剑道是在所有武术系统中最具有外观特色的武道。

The USA Team made history defeating the Japanese Team during the 13th World Championship in Taipei, Taiwan. Please tell us about it.

在台湾台北市举行的第13届世界剑道锦标赛中，美国队史无前例地击败了日本队，请您给我们介绍一下。

Japan is the top country in the sport/art of Kendo. Facing the Japanese team is more than facing another team. The reason for me to saying this is because of the tradition of japan. From a technical point of you, the USA Team is ready to defeat any other team in the world, but I realized that what we were missing was not the pure skill but the extra motivation that comes from " believing " that we can defeat any other team. Another thing that I saw is that although we always had very demanding training sessions, it was probably a good idea to think " outside the box " and incorporate some other kind of physical training that could give us the that extra edge. 

日本的剑道世界一流。面对日本队时，压力要比面对其他队要大得多。对于我个人来说，还有一个原因是因为日本的传统精神。单从技术层面上来说，美国队已经准备好去战胜世界上任何一支代表队，但我意识到我们需要的不仅仅是技战术，而是“信仰”我们能战胜其他代表队的额外动力。此外，异常严苛的训练课程，不拘一格的思维，以及与其他体能训练相结合，给我们带来了更多的优势。

How did you approach these two important factors?

在这两个重要的方面您是怎么做的？

For the physical training, I contacted Attila Nemeti (Trainer of Team USA at the 13th World Kerndo Championship) a former swimmer and coach of the Hungarian Olympic Swim Team in the 1980s, who happens to be a kendo practitioner here in the USA.

在体能训练方面，我特地邀请了正在美国修习剑道的著名游泳健将，1980年担任过匈牙利奥林匹克游泳队主教练的亚提拉?内美提（Attila Nemeti），担任第13届世界剑道锦标赛美国队的助理教练。

I talked to him and explained what I had in mind. He said it was possible to develop a strenght and conditioning supplementary training program for the team members. This program would be designed specifically for the art of kendo and it would improve the competitors' physical conditioning and flexibility substantially. I was excited about it and we brought him to work with the team. His training sessions were really hard. They used medicine balls, stretch cords, over-weighted shinais, etc . . . to develop extra strenght in the arms, torso and legs. The athletes were exhausted and in the beginning they could hardly walk straight. He incorporated a lot of power drills for arm and shoulders and specific exercises for explosive footwork. The overall idea was to make all kendoka in the US TEAM faster, stronger and more powerful from a physical point of you. Attila Incorporated all of his knowledge and experience into this program for the US Kendo Team.

我找他详细地谈了我的想法，他也认为能够通过一些补充训练来提高队员们的体能，专门设计了一套训练方法专门用于提高剑道参赛者的力量和灵活性。我听了很兴奋，并邀请他加入我们的团队。训练的课程真的很艰苦，用到了健身球，伸缩绳和加重的竹剑等等去发展躯干和四肢的力量。刚开始，运动员们都累坏了，甚至走路都走不稳。他设计了大量针对手臂和肩膀的训练方法，还有如何提高步法爆发力的课程。总的指导思想是想办法让美国队的剑道队员们从身体上更快，更强，更有力。亚提拉（Attila）为美国队贡献出了他所有的知识和经验。

What about the psychological aspect?

那么，精神层面呢？

This was something that we had to approach very careful. Motivation and power to make an athlete believe he can do something is a very tricky thing. I thought about how to inspire the team with something that had nothing to do with Kendo, but that at the same time, they could relate to and use for our goal. One night I thought of the movie Miracle, which tells the story of the famous victory of the USA Hockey Team against the Soviet Union. I watched the movie again and I saw in that movie the perfect tool to make our athlete to believe they could do it. I got a copy of the movie and had them watch it . . . one by one. You should have seen them. They were on fire. In their eyes, you could see they believed they could beat ANY team and ANY opponent. They had the skill, the physical training, and the mental drive to make it happen. They knew and they were sure that they could take any team in that Championship.

这个层面就需要比较谨慎地操作了。通过建立动机和力量使得运动员更加自信是一件很微妙的事情。我曾想过如何通过与剑道无关的事情来激励队员，但又能与我们的目标有关联。一天夜里，我想到有一部电影《奇迹》（Miracle）,讲述了一次美国冰球队在美苏比赛时获得的的著名胜利。我又重新看了一次这部电影，觉得这对队员来说是很好的激励手段。我找到了这部电影的光盘让他们传看……结果，他们内心的火焰被点燃了。在他们的眼中，你可以看到他们那份可以击败任何代表队和对手的信念。他们有技战术，有良好的身体条件，还有强大的心灵力量去争取胜利。他们坚信自己能够在比赛中战胜任何队伍。

But how did you input this belief into them?

你是如何将这个信念灌输给他们的？

Let me explain. A believe is a way you feel about something -- it's deeply rooted. For instance, if I ask you a question about something, you have an answer for it. On the other hand, believe in something is trusting that what you want can and will happen. There is not a single doubt that it will happen -- you completely trust and know that it will happen. You have to believe that things will work out -- no doubts, just trust in yourself and your inner powers. Believing requires this complete trust that everything will work out, that you will do your part while trusting and knowing that you can and will get what you want. It is very different to have a belief about something than to make someone " believe " in something.

首先我要解释一下，信念是你对事物的一种感觉——根深蒂固的感觉。比方说，如果我对你提出一个问题，你就会去回答这个问题，从另一个角度来说，对某事物抱有坚定的信念就是坚定不移地相信这件事会且一定会发生。你必须去相信这件事一定能成功——没有任何疑问，全身心地去相信她。信念需要这种彻底的相信，坚信你能够为了你所想要得到而且一定能得到的事物去做好任何事情。对事情建立“信念”和简单地“相信”是有天壤之别的。

Than, what happened?

那么后来呢？

And the day arrived. We had to face the Japanese Team. I believe that Japan was thinking about Korea. And since they had won all the matches we previously had, nothing made them think that this time was going to be different. Well, they were wrong. All of a sudden, they were defeated by the USA Team. And the couldn't believe it. Not even the crowd did. Only we believed that we could do it. I am extremely proud for what this represents for the history of the art of Kendo in the United States of America. At the end, what you believe is what you get.

后来比赛的那天终于到了，我们不得不面对日本队。我觉得日本队当时主要着眼在韩国队身上，因为韩国几乎赢得了我们之前参加的所有比赛，也没有任何迹象表明情况会有所变化。当然，他们犯了一个错误。出其不意地，他们被美国队打败了，他们自己没有想到，甚至连观众都没有想到。只有我们坚信这一天的到来。我为这个美国剑道史上历史性的胜利感到无上的光荣与自豪。终于，我们梦想实现，信念成真。

Sensei, what is the most important quality we can find in Kendo that can be applied to our life?

先生，请问剑道中那些优秀的品质可以应用在现实生活中？

No matter what we do in life, we need to try our best, never give up, and be honest. The etiquette, manners, patience, and discipline are principles and values that can be applied to our lives but that is something that pretty much all martial arts have. One thing that I see that maybe different is this: when we fight in Kendo , once we attack . . . we go through. We keep constant pressure and keep hitting even beyond the point of contact. This action teaches that no matter what, even if we get hit . . . we need to keep going after our goal. Focus on the target and don't let anything stop you. Don't give up chasing your goals. That is something that is unique to the art of Kendo. 

不论做任何事情，我们必须竭尽全力，永不放弃。几乎所有的武术中都提倡的规矩，礼节，坚忍，纪律等原则都对我们的生活具有很好的指导作用。我只是觉得在某些方面剑道有所不同：在剑道的格斗中，当我们决定进攻…立即舍身出击，并对打击目标保持着持续的压迫和不间断的打击，这甚至超越打击本身。这说明了不论发生什么事情，甚至我们被对手击中…我们必须在达到目的之后还继续前进。关注最终的目标，不为任何事情停下自己的脚步。不要放弃自己的目标，这就是剑道与众不同的地方。

Where do you see the art of Kendo 20 years from now on?

请您展望一下未来20年剑道的发展？

It is growing. It is very well organized and systematized, so the best is yet to come. The rules are very uniform and the whole world follows them. This makes a solid foundation for the art to grow around the world. Some people talk about the Olympics. Some like the idea, some do not. For me, the important thing is to see the art and tradition of Kendo being practiced around the world with the right spirit and the right attitude. That is what really counts.

剑道正在有组织有系统地良性发展之中，所以未来一定会更好。规则在全世界都高度统一。甚至有些人建议剑道立为奥运项目，有些人赞成，有些人反对。而对于我个人来说，最重要的是拥有正确精神和态度的正统剑道文化传统正在全世界范围内兴起，这才是最让人欣慰的。

译文作者：东莞一心剑道馆 李伯璋 

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2011年11月9日

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