Is it accurate to say that no martial art is necessarily better than another? . To provide an answer, you need to first complete the question. Define “better”. A martial art is better at what? Cardio? Sparring? Ground-work? Winning trophies? Self-defense? Street combat? etc. etc. . I think it is safe to say yes, that […]
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Read More »
Happy World Karate Day. . “In 2005, the Okinawa Prefecture Assembly passed the resolution declaring October 25th ‘Karate no hi’, (空手の日) ‘the day of karate’. . Some 700 years ago, karate was born in this land, Okinawa. Coexisting with the beautiful nature and climate of Okinawa, our predecessors created karate, a traditional culture that Okinawa
Happy World Karate Day. Read More »
A comment on one of my recent articles stated; “Come step onto a jiu-jitsu mat and you’ll will be humbled. I guarantee it.” . A great many people are dying to be reassured that their martial art is the best and most effective. They evidently believe that their martial art is superior to all others
I guess you can’t fix stupid! Read More »
You’re not my sensei, so why do you call YOURSELF sensei? . If I see somebody labeled as, and calling themselves “sensei”, and I don’t know them, it’s just plain wrong. They aren’t teaching me… so they aren’t my sensei. I’m not choosing to call them sensei. . The term can’t apply as a blanket
Stop calling yourself “sensei” is just narcissistic, weird and presumptuous. Read More »
Open-mindedness involves being receptive to a wide variety of ideas, arguments, and information. This doesn’t mean that being open-minded is easy. Being open to new ideas and experiences can sometimes lead to confusion. . What you once practiced as a “block” or “punch” doesn’t seem to work the way you thought, and realizing is wasn’t
“Do not pretend to know something you have not experienced.” Read More »
In many kata, and indeed the techniques of karate, there should be a great deal of emphasis placed on abdominal breathing. That is, in which you are supposed take very deep, audible, abdominal breaths, synchronized with foot and hand motions. . If we take Sanchin kata as an example, many students I have witnessed practicing
What does it mean to be a Senpai (sempai)? Senpai (先輩) translates as “Senior” and can be applied in any situation where someone is senior to you. But the meaning for those in a traditionally run martial art school is far deeper than simply ‘Senior’. The senpai of a dojo has usually trained for a
What does it mean to be a senpai? Read More »
Be passionate about your martial arts training and your martial arts training will improve. . People join martial arts schools for many different reasons, perhaps wanting to learn how to fight, how to protect themselves, get fit, gain confidence or a combination of all those things. Often times those reasons change when there is a
“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” Read More »
Some instructors teach their students “just enough” and often these instructors believe that they themselves have been taught all there is. . Learning is often taken to mean memorization, and advancing from one grade to the next as education, and passing that grade to mean they are competent. . If instructors just follow the curriculum,
It’s not the number of techniques you know, but how well you know them. Read More »
Fighting ability is just one aspect of self-defense. It exists alongside other skills such as situational awareness, verbal de-escalation, escaping, weapons, protecting others, the law, etc. which many people unfortunately overlook. . Also learning to recognize and avoid, or verbally de-escalate potentially hostile situations, these are hugely important skills if your interest in practicing the
Common misconceptions in self-defense. Read More »
In boxing we were taught the importance of a good, tight guard. When you put up a guard you’ve just consented to a fight. . Self-defense is different. In self-defense if you lift your hands and wait in your perfectly aligned tight guard, you’ve lost the initiative, the ability to surprise, and control the enemy’s
A hands up guard may not be useful in self-defense. Read More »
“Karate doesn’t work”…… I hear this all the time. This is a meaningless statement without a qualifier. . Works for what? You have to define the goal and from there seek the solution. . For you, is it a martial art (culture, health, personal challenge, etc). Is it fighting, competition, tournaments (consensual). Or is it
Your Karate isn’t working! Read More »
