“I look around today and feel saddened. Many students of martial arts do not have respect for their teachers. All they want to learn is punching and kicking. This is not martial arts, it is only fighting.” ?? . . Martial Arts is steeped in tradition and principles. People are often drawn to the practice based…
Category: Motivation
Be proud of your character, not your Belt rank.
Be proud of your character, not your Belt rank. ?? . Adam Carter 7th dan Ryukyu Karate Jutsu ~ Shuri Dojo . . Some people seem to be focussed primarily on obtaining rank and status instead of working on themselves, their character, and their martial arts abilities. . Belts are not a trophy to display and…
It is not about ‘time OR training’ but about ‘time AND training’.
It is not about ‘time OR training’ but about ‘time AND training’. ?? . You have to do the time, and promotion will come when you are ready, and you have the minimum ‘time in grade’. Note that the time in grade requirement is a ‘minimum’. Therefore, if you are training three times a week, the…
A good instructor teaches students how to fight, a great instructor teaches students how to live.
“To all those whose progress remains hampered by ego-related distractions, let humility – the spiritual cornerstone upon which Karate rests – serve to remind one to place virtue before vice, values before vanity and principles before personalities.” – Sokon Matsumura (1809-1899) . . “A good instructor teaches students how to fight, a great instructor teaches…
Trust is a wonderful thing. Real trust is something that is earned over time.
“True leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” ~ Tom Peters . Trust is a wonderful thing. Real trust is something that is earned over time. In budo practice, trust is absolutely essential. Without trust there is no respect. Trust is really easy to break and very difficult to gain. Once trust is broken,…
Motivation in martial arts training.
Motivation in martial arts training. . I’ve been training in the martial arts for almost forty seven years now and finding the motivation to keep going has been an ongoing process. Sometimes it was easy, other times not so much. Which brings me to the question I think is key to have long-term motivation to…
“There are no styles of karate-do, just varying interpretations of its principles.”
“Why I Stopped Practicing My Karate Style. (Maybe YOU Should Too?)” ~ Jesse Enkamp . . “There is no place in contemporary Karate for different styles. I have heard myself and my colleagues referred to as the ‘Shotokan style’, but I strongly object to this attempt at classification. My belief is that all ‘styles’ should…
It is very difficult to keep tradition.
The difficulty of preserving tradition. ??� . “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 have to…
Push yourself, because, no one else is going to do it for you.
“Push yourself, because, no one else is going to do it for you.” ?? . Tatsuya Naka 7th dan JKA Shotokan . No matter how hard you try, some days, your students aren’t engaged. There’s no way around it. Student apathy occurs when the student believes that their pedagogical success lies completely with the instructor, or…
Be kind to everyone.
Everything is about energy. . The energy introduces you before you even speak. The moment you meet someone, you simply know what type of person you are dealing with. You know it from a body language, posture, behavior, the way they look, walk or smile. . Some people can make you feel happy, enthusiastic, calm,…
You have to put in the EFFORT.
努力怠るなかれ ~ “Doryoku okotaru nakare” (Never neglect effort) ?? . Kenzo Mabuni (1927-2005) . “Never neglect the little things. Never skimp on that extra effort, that additional few minutes, [..] that delivery of the very best that you can do. . It does not matter what others think, it is of prime importance, however, what you…
Never neglect courtesy and etiquette.
礼儀怠るなかれ ~ “Reigi okotaru nakare.” (Never neglect courtesy and etiquette) ?? ~ Kenei Mabuni (1918-2015) . There is a cultural element to karate which should be well observed. This cultural element involves courtesy, humility, etiquette, rank, tradition, protocol and much more. . Whenever or wherever you train Karate, you should follow certain etiquette and manners called…