Philosophy

“Friendship and cooperation are the most important part of karate.”

  “Friendship and cooperation are the most important part of karate.” – Seikichi Iha 10th Dan Shorin Ryu Shidokan . Nothing feels more disappointing than watching your peers get promoted ahead of you – especially if you’ve been training the same amount of time or even longer. . Instead of throwing in the towel, or

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“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

Many people have conformed to accepting low-level information on their karate. Sticking with the punching, kicking, “blocking” and the step (insert number here) “kumite” we see in dojo everywhere. . For most people who are caught in the addiction-loop of consuming this low-quality information, it will take years to transform their brains into a state

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“Blocking with one hand and then countering with the other is not true bujutsu.”

Prior to karate’s Japanification and move to a more sport oriented system, Okinawan karate (Tode, Te) was created for self-defense, or self-protection. One of Okinawa’s greatest fighters, Motobu Choki stated that; “Nothing is more harmful to the world than a martial art that is not effective in actual self-defense.” . Today’s concept of blocking with

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Sparring is NOT real fighting.

Sparring is a training activity frequently used in just about every martial art style or system. While there are many different approaches to martial arts sparring, generally all of them follow a predefined set of rules and unique customs. . Unfortunately, many martial artists think their sparring skills are a good indicator of their ability

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“..it’s not just about doing techniques, it’s also about training your heart and character..”

“When you practice karate of course you train the body, but it’s not just about doing techniques, it’s also about training your heart and character to be kind to people.” – Takehiro Gaja 9th dan Uechi-ryu . . The practice of martial arts is deeply rooted in philosophy, tradition, and culture. It teaches not only

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“Kata without bunkai is like a ‘shamisen’; Nice sound, but empty on the inside.”

This week we were asked if we could grade someone to “Shodan” (a non member), who was a fighting champion, won many awards and championships, but did not want to do kata. . Kata is a library of self-protection techniques in Karate. Each kata creator encoded their specific knowledge into the motion of the kata

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“To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person.”

“To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person.” – Bruce Lee . . But there’s a huge problem—finding enthusiastic, hard-working, dedicated students is not an easy task! . Most students quit. And students who don’t quit usually hold back. When I see a student giving half-hearted effort in class, I ask

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“Traditional karate does not depend upon youth and speed for its effectiveness.”

  “Traditional karate does not depend upon youth and speed for its effectiveness; its strength comes from experience and hard training. In traditional (dento) karate people get stronger as they get older.”  . Minoru Higa 10th dan Shorin Ryu Kyudokan . . People in Okinawa live longer than almost anyone on earth. This Japanese region

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