“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…
Category: Philosophy
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,…
“A quiet mind is more important than a positive mind.”
“[..] there are many quotes that refers to Zen in relation to martial arts and life.” ?? . Morio Higaonna 10th dan Goju Ryu . “A quiet mind is more important than a positive mind.” ~ Deepak Chopra . . An overcrowded and stressed mind blocks the flow of peace, clarity, wisdom and creativity more than…
Humility is knowing what you don’t know.
“The humble man makes room for progress; the proud man believes he is already there.” ?? . Ed Parker American Kenpo (1931-1990) . In the martial arts world, I have noticed an undesirable trend with many practitioners and instructors. There are those who regularly talk about the things they have accomplished, they exaggerate their success and…
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,…
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…
Knowledge is power.
“Although knowledge is power, applying knowledge is REAL POWER”. ?? . Kyoshi A. Tanzadeh 8th dan . “Knowledge is power.” – Or so many people say. . Personally I don’t agree. Knowledge isn’t power, knowledge has the potential to be powerful; and there’s a difference. It’s a small difference, but a difference nonetheless. Because knowledge is…
“Do not put your main purpose in mastering Karate techniques themselves, you should instead study the way of life through Karate.” ?? . Meitoku Yagi (1912- 2003) 10th dan Goju Ryu Meibukan . Meitoku Yagi, was a karate master and teacher. He learned Goju-ryu from legendary founder Chojun Miyagi. On April 29, 1986, Emperor Hirohito named…
Always be ready to make a defense.
“In the real world, you can’t expect people to do what they’re supposed to do.” ?? . Sensei Johnny Lawrence . “Zanshin” can be translated literally as “the remaining mind” or “the lingering mind”. It is a concept found in Zen and Budo that emphasizes a continued alertness to an endeavor. In other words, it is…
I love the term winning or learning.
“Why do I think it is important to study the fighting arts? . There’s a lot of challenges in the life we live. Nothing is easy in life and I think many of us learn very early in life, that failure is something that can destroy a person, or it can teach them a lesson….
To be a master you must be a great & humble student.
“To be a master you must be a great & humble student; being a great & humble student, you will never call yourself master.” ~ anon ?? . Humility is a very important human trait that all people should exercise in their lives. Being humble means you aren’t too big for any lesson that may come…
Make martial arts you way of life.
“I had a chance as a kid to walk in a boxing club and become who I am today… I want to give somebody else a chance to do the same thing because you never really know what a child can achieve, when given the opportunities….. I want to be positive and encourage kids to…