Fighting

“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 […]

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

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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“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

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

Every attacker is unpredictable so make sure your skills are reliable in unpredictable situations.

“Remember, fighting skills aren’t the key to self-protection: fighting is what happens when self-protection goes bad.” – Iain Abernethy 7th dan . Self-protection, martial arts, and fighting, are NOT the same, they are related, but they are most definitely not the same. There remains so many teachers / instructors that still do not understand this,

Every attacker is unpredictable so make sure your skills are reliable in unpredictable situations. Read More »

In self-defense there are NO RULES.

So you don’t compete in tournaments yet you teach tournament techniques….. as self-defense? . In self-defense there are NO RULES. If you’re in danger, in trouble, or in anyway threatened, you do anything and everything you can to ESCAPE, to get away and get to safety. . The idea behind karate for self-defense is that

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“Strength training is the starting point for my techniques.”

“Strength training is the starting point for my techniques, and it’s actually very important for this reason. You must do it. For any technique to be properly stabilized, basic physical strength is essential. Therefore, I perform strength training with the following philosophy in mind; great technique in kata can only be achieved with having a

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Jiu-kumite should reflect the kata

“I don’t mean to suggest that I have a totally negative opinion about karate-do’s competitive element, it’s just that I feel that it is too shallow. Regardless of whether it is Okinawa, the Japanese mainland, or the world in general, jiu-kimite (free sparring) ignores the principles to which kata apply. Simply put, jiu-kumite should reflect

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