I’ve been watching this for years. Someone takes a piece of kata and immediately tries to turn it into a neat sequence. This is the attack, this is the defense, this is what comes next. It all lines up nicely, and on the surface it makes sense. But the more you look at it, the […]
Reflections on Kata: Why Kata Does Not Show the Setup Read More »
I recently pointed out the inherent dangers of falling or fighting on hard surfaces like concrete, and, as expected, the responses came in. People sharing their experiences – “I fell off my bike and did a perfect roll”, “I’ve fought on pavement and I’m fine”, “I used to train on concrete all the time.” The underlying sentiment
The Dangerous Myth of “Nothing Happened to Me” Read More »
I’ve been thinking lately about how much time we spend polishing the outside of the vessel without ever looking at what’s inside. After over fifty years on the mat, I’ve performed thousands of repetitions of the same kata. In the beginning, it was about the physical – the crispness of the technique, the power in
Reflections on Kata: The Syllabus in the Shadows Read More »
How many times, as a karate-ka, are we told, “Take it to the ground”? “You have to fight on the ground”? Quite a lot, if the comments I receive are anything to go by. Have you ever fallen on concrete – the sidewalk, the pavement? It hurts, right? A senior instructor from my dojo fell
Hitting Concrete Isn’t the Same as Tatami Read More »
Whenever I write about real-world self-defense, the comments seem to explode into “my style is the best”. I’m not convinced a lot of these people actually train themselves – maybe keyboard warriors, maybe just inexperienced – these comments often seem to revolve around one style in particular: Kyokushin. Now, before anyone accuses me of bashing
No Style Is the Best – Context Is Read More »
One of the strangest claims still repeated in karate is that throws do not belong in the art. And yet the historical record says otherwise. Gichin Funakoshi himself documented throwing methods, and senior figures have long acknowledged their place. The issue is not whether throws existed in karate. The issue is why so many modern
Many karate practitioners are taught to think in terms of techniques. Movements are labeled, categorized, and assigned a specific purpose. One technique blocks. Another strikes. Another performs a different function entirely. Over time this can create the impression that karate is a large collection of separate techniques, each designed to solve a specific problem. When
Movement, Not Technique Read More »
Self-defense and fighting are often spoken about as if they are the same thing. They are not. There is overlap between the two, but they are fundamentally different in both purpose and outcome. This distinction is often misunderstood, particularly because many people are taught physical or fighting skills first when they attend a “self-defense” class.
Winning Is Not the Goal in Self-Defense Read More »
One of the first things you learn as a beginner is a ‘block’, right? Typically, it’s one of these: upper, middle inner, middle outer, or a down block. You spend a significant amount of time practicing these blocks, focusing on the small details, making sure your pulling hand (hikite) is positioned perfectly, all performed with
Why Karate “Blocks” Don’t Work the Way We Think Read More »
Choki Motobu once remarked that a single kata represented the style of the time. In my opinion, he wasn’t talking about stances and techniques, but something deeper. Motobu was known for his very practical view of fighting. He famously emphasized the importance of Naihanchi, once stating that “Naihanchi is the foundation of karate.” His focus
What ‘Style’ Originally Meant in Early Karate Read More »
Being attacked with a knife is terrifying. I have seen the results of many of these attacks in my past careers – some of them fatal. And yet most knife defense demonstrations begin the same way. A single, committed middle thrust from distance. Like a standard karate-type stepping punch. No – that’s not how it happens.
Step Off the Centre Line… Then What? Read More »
