“It is difficult to understand the universe if you only study one planet.” – Miyamoto Musashi . Growth is part and parcel of being a martial artist – if you are not open to others ideas and constantly finding ways to hinder it, you may want to reconsider your purpose for training in the martial…
Category: Martial Arts
“One should be able to move in any direction with ease.”
“One should be able to move in any direction with ease. When attacked the natural reaction is to go back. You should practice hard to overcome this.” – Hironori Otsuka 10th Dan Wado-Ryu (1892 – 1982) . In actual combat the objective is to escape, or if necessary, to control, or to hit and not…
“Ultimately, training in karate means not having to fight anyone”.
“Ultimately, training in karate means not having to fight anyone”. (End quote) – Yoshio Kuba 10th dan Goju Ryu . DON’T FIGHT….. TAKE CONTROL….. Eliminate in your opponent the desire to keep fighting. To always want to ‘defeat’ someone; to always want to fight first; if these are your only skills, then there is…
“Smile and relax.”
“Smile and relax. You can’t demonstrate great power unless you are relaxed.” – Yoshimi Inoue Soke – Inoue-ha Shito-ryu (1946-2015) . “Smile!” When Inoue sensei thinks you are tense, he never says “relax!“. Instead, he says “smile!” – which is a psychological trick to make you relax. It’s hard to be tense when you’re smiling!…
The main goal of self-protection is NOT fighting.
“Winning is the reason why you compete and why sports exist, more than anything else. Is karate such a thing? Has karate been built on the principals of competition and winning? Or is karate based on forging a better person?” – Kenyu Chinen 9th dan Oshukai Shorin Ryu . Self-protection, which we usually refer…
“I researched on my own and found the reason.”
“I researched on my own and found the reason….. So I tried experimenting with my students….. I realized its true meaning…” – Tatsuya Naka 7th dan JKA Shotokan . The main goal of a teacher should not be to fill the student with knowledge, but instead to guide them how to obtain knowledge through their…
“Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”
“Everyone has a goal. Whether that is to become a world champion or not doesn’t really matter. Although your goal may often look hard to achieve at first, if you continually make efforts toward your goal, then your time, energy and commitment will never have been wasted. So, keep it up as much as you…
Kata, IS the heart of karate.
“We must be careful not to overlook the fact that kata, and the body positions that comprises them, are just templates of sort; it is their application in combat which needs to be mastered.” – Motobu Choki (1870-1944) . The term “bunkai” (分解), meaning ‘disassembly’, does not refer to a technique of any kind. It…
The Dojo. The place of the way.
In all professions and skills, there’s a certain point you reach after many years of work or dedicated training, when thoughts of going it alone come in to your mind. . Starting a new dojo is exhilarating. A world of possibility awaits, including the possibilities of incredible success…. or catastrophic failure. . There is…
“In life, we follow the principles to not commit mistakes…… In fighting it’s the same.”
“In life, we follow the principles to not commit mistakes…… In fighting it’s the same.” – Lyoto Machida . . One of my golden rules has always been; once learned never forgotten. Out of respect to my teachers and my instructors. They never had to teach me the same thing twice. . It amazes me…
“Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds.“
Hard work always pays dividends. The amount of effort expended to reach a goal determines what you achieve. There are those however, who like to take shortcuts. . The poor work ethic shows in how you see life. It also shows in how you treat others, and the conditions of life you expect from them….
The journey doesn’t end……
“There are many people around the world who are good at ‘kata’. There are many people who are strong in ‘kumite’. Instead of strong or weak, or good or poor, I think it is meaningful to work hard.” – Akihito Yagi 8th dan Meibukan Goju Ryu . (I believe that Yagi sensei was inferring that…