With so many people these days leading hectic, over-stimulated, and sleep-deprived lives, it’s no wonder that worry and anxiety is at an all time high. In a way, our brains are hard wired to be on the lookout for threats and reasons to worry, despite whether they are real or imagined. . What this means […]
The Dojo…A brief vacation from your problems. Read More »
“I think karate is to be practiced to toughen yourself, every time over and over…. As for having my own students, I learn a lot from them.…I teach what I know about karate, and say, let’s do it together, let’s improve together. Well at least this is what I am trying to do.” (end quote)
“I think karate is to be practiced to toughen yourself, every time over and over.” Read More »
“Mentorship is like friendship: it evolves over time, and it’s a two-way street.” – Simon Sinek . Mentorship is an activity in which we engage in to help develop the next generation of karate teachers, style or group leaders. What exactly is mentorship? What makes it effective? How does it differ from just teaching or
“A teacher, a really good sensei, is never a giver of ‘truth’…” Read More »
Most teachers of the martial arts do not enter teaching with the expectation that they will be working with consistently well-behaved, enthusiastic, successful students who enjoy standing quietly in rows listening to teachers lecture at them. . Nor do most teachers anticipate that all their students will dutifully use their highest cognitive processes to memorize,
“The journey has to be based on passion.” Read More »
If you really want to do something, you will find a way. If you don’t you will find an excuse – Jim Rohn (1930-2009) . . If you really want to do something, you WILL find a way. But, do it NOW! And not later. Don’t wait for the right time. There is no other
If you really want to do something, you will find a way. Read More »
Research shows that people who train martial arts are more alert and focused than those who have never trained before. It also shows that the longer a person has trained, the more enhanced his or her cognition becomes. . But you need to have an insatiable desire to continually improve your skills. . Martial arts
Challenge yourself; go farther than you think you can go. Read More »
“Hikite”…is NOT for power generation. . In several martial arts, it is very common to see practitioners performing techniques with one hand while pulling back / drawing back the other hand. In Japanese, this is called “hikite” (pulling hand..there’s a clue in the translation) and is evident in most of the basic “blocks”, strikes and
“Hikite”…is NOT for power generation. Read More »
How to be unshakeable in your enthusiasm for teaching the martial arts. . Students can tell when we’re just going through the motions. But how can you summon the energy to teach with passion; day in, day out? . Firstly there is authenticity: There are times when we have to act excited about teaching a
How to be unshakeable in your enthusiasm for teaching the martial arts. Read More »
The difficulty of preserving tradition. . (begin quote) “It is very difficult to keep tradition, not only in karate do, but also in other martial arts. In order to do so, both teachers and students seriously need to do their best. Students need to have an understanding of karate while enjoying it. Of course, teachers
The difficulty of preserving tradition. Read More »
Okinawan Karate Pioneers. . Chōshin Chibana (知花 朝信 5 June 1885 – 26 February 1969) was an Okinawan martial artist who developed Shorin-ryū karate based on what he had learned from Ankō Itosu. He was the last of the pre-World War karate masters, also called the “Last Warrior of Shuri”. He was the first to
“Whether you become great depends on only two factors – effort and study.” Read More »
“If you can’t do it slow, you can’t do it fast.” . My sensei would often make us practice our techniques in super slow motion to ensure we were using proper form and really developing an understanding of the nuances of each movement. . Of course, it took me a while to understand why we
“If you can’t do it slow, you can’t do it fast.” Read More »
There are teachers where you can learn the techniques of karate, and there are teachers where you can learn the techniques and principles of karate. There are also teachers where you can learn the “Way of karate”, to develop physique, technique, principles, character, mind and spirit. . To me, the real teachers are those who
Your sensei will not always be there. Read More »
