“Tournament fighting is very different to an actual confrontation, which often happens without warning and at close range. We do not practice ‘sparring’ in this fashion.” (End quote) – Taira Masaji 9th dan Goju Ryu . A technique might work very well against another practitioner in the dojo, using only passive resistance against you. However, […]
“Tournament fighting is very different to an actual confrontation.” Read More »
Irimi (入り身) is a Japanese martial arts term meaning “to enter with body”. An ‘irimi’ motion is one which describes when someone enters towards another. It’s a rather simple definition but performing it, especially under stress or pressure, can be quite difficult. . Perhaps a more meaningful way of using Irimi is to understand it as
Control an attacker, don’t give them the chance to control you. Read More »
“At rest, the fist and the body must be able to instantly react to anything from any direction. The same applies to one’s heels — the heels must be prepared to shift the body in any direction without hesitation.” – Hironori Otsuka 10th Dan Wado-Ryu (1892-1982) from the book ‘Wado Ryu Karate’ . In actual
Moving to an angle is a key principle in karate. Read More »
The people who argue about kata not being relevant to real fighting or self-defense totally miss the point – in addition to being ’libraries’ of combative principles, techniques and movements, when practiced correctly they reinforce the fundamentals necessary to fight or defend oneself as effectively as possible in a civilian exchange. . People who question
“Those who are unaware they are walking in darkness will never seek the light.” Read More »
Recently someone tried to argue that their style of karate was the strongest. Bluntly informing me that because their athletes were successful in competition going back to the 1960’s, it was the ultimate, the strongest, and the best martial art. I tried to explain that there is not one style that is the best in
There is NOT one system or style that is the best or ‘strongest’. Read More »
“There is only one opponent and he is in front of you. Turning to face a new direction while performing the kata does not mean you are turning to face a new opponent.” ~ Seikichi Toguchi (1917-1998) . (Begin Mabuni quote) – “The meaning of the directions in kata is not well understood, and frequently
“There is only one opponent and he is in front of you.” Read More »
“We learned karate that was to be used in real-life situations. If you don’t continue to train with that sense of there being a real opponent, you won’t be able to respond in that kind of situation.” – Takeshi Tamaki 10th dan Shorin-ryu . Kata, the management of failure. . What does this mean?…… In
Kata, the management of failure. Read More »
A comment on one of my recent articles stated; “I don’t believe in bunkai.” . To comment that; “I don’t believe in bunkai” is an extraordinary thing to say. Someone who really doesn’t understand their martial arts. But unfortunately, they really believe in their statement. And this is all too common. . What does “bunkai”
Here is a comment posted on a recent YouTube video. (I won’t mention any names)…… “I post this as a person who has trained many years in karate, then to judo and jujitsu, and then to boxing. I would also say, I have spent many years in law enforcement roles and I know what works.
“Old style karate involved only what would be useful.” Read More »
Many practitioners talk about kata interpretation, or bunkai as an element of their karate practice. And many of these practitioners say the movements aren’t practical, they wouldn’t work for real, kata is useless, no-one comes to my dojo to learn kata, etc, etc……. and you know what? That’s true, for the way most people practice
“Through sparring practice the practical meaning of kata becomes apparent.” Read More »
Tegumi (手組) or Mutō (無刀) is a traditional form of wrestling from Okinawa. A common practice in Okinawa’s Ryukyu Kingdom period, ‘tegumi’ nearly disappeared from the Okinawan martial arts curriculum. . It is believed by many researchers that tegumi was probably the original form of fighting from Okinawa. And those researchers believe that tegumi, along
History is a valuable teacher. If you care to take a look. Read More »
Kata was never meant to be used just to pass the next belt or simply practiced for aesthetic purposes. Kata should be practiced for the knowledge of the extremely effective techniques and principles upon which they are based, and practitioners should develop the ability to apply that knowledge. . Kata and sparring, often two words
“One cannot understand the true meaning of something without putting it into practice.” Read More »
