(Approx 2 minute 55 second read) What is awareness, and why is it so important in self-defense? . Many practitioners focus solely on physical techniques, treating force as the solution to every problem. Some even adopting a fight-first mentality, giving little more than lip service to avoidance. . But we all know that avoidance is…
Tag: Fighting
From Tradition to Function: Making Every Stance Count.
(Approx 2 minute 25 second read) In everyday English, we use the word ‘stance’ to infer a fixed, unchanging position or viewpoint. This common usage of the word can confuse people into thinking that we utilize our karate ‘stances’ in the same way, that they represent a fixed position….. They do not! . A recent…
Cognitive Dissonance in Training: When Belief Clashes with Reality.
(Approx 1 minute 50 second read) A friend of mine reminded me, in relation to an article I wrote about keeping karate grounded in reality when approaching self-defense, about cognitive dissonance in the martial arts. . Ever feel that discomfort when two ideas just don’t sit right? . That’s cognitive dissonance. . We dedicate years…
No One Size Fits All: Are You Training for the Wrong Fight? Finding Your Path in Martial Arts.
(Approx 2 minute 50 second read) Whenever I write an article about real-world self-defense, the comments seem to explode into “my style is the best”. . I don’t think a lot of these people actually train themselves – maybe keyboard warriors, maybe just inexperienced – but these comments usually revolve around one style in particular:…
The Ugly Truth of Self-defense – Keep Your Training Grounded.
(Approx 2 minute read) A comment on one of my articles about self-defense challenged my point that techniques in real combat should rely mostly on gross motor skills. The commentator disagreed, insisting that fine motor skills work just as well in such scenarios. I’m not sure he had any experience in this, as he didn’t…
More Than Childcare: Equipping Children for True Real-World Safety.
(Approx 2 minute 40 second read) A little while ago I had a mother and young son join the dojo. I love it when families train together, it’s really enjoyable when we have a mixed class. . One evening, I was teaching the youngsters how to be an awkward, real pain, difficult ‘little ‘un’, if…
Movement, Not a Catalog of Techniques: Reconnecting Karate with Practical Applications.
(Approx 2 minute 45 second read) Can you think of another pastime, hobby, sport, or functional defensive practice where there is so much ambiguity? . If I was teaching you advanced ‘blue-lights and siren’ driving skills (I used to), and I answered a question that was so plainly incorrect it would put your life and…
No, You Can’t Mug Me Today. I Just Train for Fun!
(Approx 1 minute 50 second read) I recently had a persistent commenter on my Facebook page, a person who, every time I posted an article about self-defense, would jump in to say that in his 40 years of training, he has never had to use self-defense. He claimed that he trains purely for fun and…
Lessons from the Past: Do Some Traditions Fail in Self-Defense?
(Approx 2 minute 35 second read) Social media today is flooded with people showing off their ideas of bunkai applications. Every day, my feed is full of someone performing something or other. . Sometimes, these ideas are just cringeworthy, so I move on. It’s not worth losing time over. . Now, I get that for…
Meeting it Head-On: Shouldn’t Angles Define Kata and Your Responses?
(Approx 2 minute 20 second read) I’m writing about angles again as I had so many comments and messages about this, I want to try and make my case a little clearer. . When you’re in the dojo and you begin to practice any step-kumite, drills, or sparring, you stand facing an opponent, right? ….
“Self-Praise and Over-Confidence is a Sickness That Corrupts Training.”
(Approx 1 minute 45 second read) Confidence is something every martial artist needs. Without it, even the most skilled person can freeze when it matters most. I’ve written about this recently – the impact of how a lack of confidence can ruin any skill you may have. . However, just as too little confidence is…
Thinking for Yourself: Breaking Free from the Illusion in Karate.
(Approx 2 minute 40 second read) “What the herd hates most is the one who thinks differently; it is not so much the opinion itself, but the audacity of wanting to think for themselves, something that they do not know how to do.” – Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) . Karate, and the martial arts in general,…