Modern-day students of karate generally assume that the ranking system of kyu (color belt) and dan (black belt) levels, and the various titles that high-ranking black belts hold, are, like the kata, a part of karate tradition extending back centuries. . However, the ranking system itself dates back only to the early 20th century. . […]
“In Okinawa, belt mean no need rope hold up pants.” Read More »
I love training. I love budo, it’s a major PART of my life….. but it’s not my whole life. Although at times I seem to think of nothing else. It enhances my life, makes my life richer, and enhances my health and sense of well-being. I enjoy it a lot. Training in budo, apart form
But believe it or not, there are other things in life besides the dojo. Read More »
Ojigi (お辞儀) – Bowing in Japan is the act of lowering your head or the upper part of the torso, commonly used as a sign of salutation, reverence, apology or gratitude in social or religious situations. . Bowing is extremely important in Japan, children normally begin learning how to bow at a very young age,
“Bu, starts with Rei and ends with Rei.” Read More »
Indecision can kill. . Think about the last time you had to deal with a problem but couldn’t come up with a single possible solution…… Making any decision, even if it’s not the best, is better than freezing and making no decision. ** **Indecision kills. . In real world self-defense, awareness and Information is an
Indecision can kill. Read More »
Facing forward in kata and then turning to the left, or right, to meet an incoming attack (whatever that might be), makes no sense at all. Yet today this is still being taught to students. . Throughout the history of karate we have some of the creators of kata informing us….. what they are trying
“The beauty of a move lies not in its appearance but in the thought behind it.” Read More »
Buddhism and happiness are complementary to each other. There is a lot to be learnt about happiness from Buddhist philosophies. . Buddha taught that happiness is one of the seven factors of Enlightenment. . Life Involves Suffering – Accept It. . According to Buddhist philosophy, acceptance to the truth of Life involving suffering is crucial
What is it you want out of the martial arts? What is the one thing that will get you to where you want to be? . Many people look to motivation to push them toward their destination. But what happens when that motivation wears off, when the excitement declines? How can you stay committed on
What is it you want out of the martial arts? Read More »
The commonality of technique throughout all of the martial arts and styles that exist is that they all make use of biomechanics and weaknesses of human anatomy. Where the various arts differ is in the rules, the goal, and the context that they are trained for. . In competitions, tournaments and consensual fights, you have
Commonality of technique. Read More »
“A student well versed in even one technique will naturally see corresponding points in other techniques. A upper level punch, a lower punch, a front punch and a reverse punch are all essentially the same. Looking over thirty-odd kata, he should be able to see that they are essentially variations on just a handful.” –
Martial arts and Mathematics…. Connected art forms. Read More »
You don’t have to “bring“ yourself into the present moment, because you are already there. What is required is to become still. And you don’t have to sit down in some difficult yoga position to be still. You don’t have to repeatedly recite a chant to be still. All you need to do are three
People don’t realize that now is all there ever is. Read More »
If you have a true interest in the martial arts, I believe it is important that practitioners have some understanding of the history of our art. . Today, many practitioners and instructors state that they are practicing and teaching the ‘original’ kata as taught by Master… (insert name). . But what is original?….. The true
Are your kata original? Read More »
What is tradition, or traditional, in the martial arts? Who decides what it is? . Tradition can be described as; “an inherited, established or customary pattern of thought, action or behavior”. But what we refer to as “traditional” in the martial arts often isn’t traditional at all. . All of the past masters were
What is tradition, or traditional, in the martial arts? Read More »
