Gichin Funakoshi’s 6th precept stated – “Kokoro wa hanatan koto o yosu” (心は放たん事を要す). Be ready to free your mind.
.
There are many interpretations of the exact meaning of Funakoshi’s precept, but I believe part of it is that we should always keep our minds open to learning new things.
.
I often watch students practice their techniques, over and over, one after another, and I think to myself; “good exercise, but not very good karate.” ……… One of the reasons for this is because they aren’t really paying attention to what they are doing.
.
Students should learn techniques and practice them often. Then those techniques, after a while become second nature – automatic……. But they think they “know” how to perform them. So that’s just what they do. They do them just like they always do them…….. and with the same errors too.
.
Despite this fact, students too often just perform their karate – almost without thought. It’s as if they get caught up in the exercise, the aerobic activity and loose attention to what matters.
.
Good technique comes from mindful action. That is, paying attention to what, and how, you are performing a technique. Making sure it is done as closely as possible to the model given to you by your instructor, eliminating extra movement and delivering power to the technique where it is necessary.
.
Each time you perform technique, examine and guide your technique with your mind to make it correct. This is especially important as you gain experience. In the process of improvement a teacher, or instructor, might just show you one little thing you can do to improve your performance, to add speed, power, flexibility etc…… So how do you incorporate this into your technique? ……. Mindful action.
.
Your body does nothing unless your mind tells it to. Mindful action is about being grounded, present and aware before we choose our actions. It involves acting out of conscious awareness of specific circumstances, rather than mindlessly following some ingrained pattern of behavior.
.
Remember to focus on what you are doing. Be aware, know where you are putting your focus. Be fully engaged in the moment or task…… And finally…… Always keep your mind open to new pieces of information that come your way. You cannot learn anything if you think that you already know.
.
“Even though you may be full of knowledge, you should always be open to the fact that there is still more to learn.” 
.
.
 Original Photo Credit: Kenyu Mabuni from his family collection. Gichin Funakoshi and Kenei Mabuni visiting Kenwa Mabuni’s grave.