Martial Arts

Which is the best style of karate?

What is the best style of karate? This is an age old question. Martial artists and desktop warriors have debated this question over and over, arguing their style of karate is the best and the strongest, while others state that mine, “works in the street”; MMA or BJJ is best for realism, ground and pound….. […]

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The great journey of karate.

“KARATE-DO”; “the way of the empty hand”. The names of most Japanese martial arts are suffixed “DO”, e.g. “KENDO”, “JUDO”, “KYUDO”, “JODO”, “AIKIDO”. . “DO”, “the way” or “path”, is meant to convey the idea of a long journey or undertaking in a sense similar to a pilgrimage, a long-term commitment, perhaps even with spiritual

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Keep your word, integrity matters.

“In my dream I was sharpening my katana.” ~ Adam Carter 7th dan Ryukyu Karate Jutsu ~ Shuri Dojo . What does it mean? Preparing for battle, or conflict? . Dreams about sharpening a sword could be a sign for your never-ending quest in acquiring knowledge and a deeper understanding. To dream of yourself holding

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Don’t be a dimwit!

Continuing the McDojo theme…… In the field of psychology, the Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people with low ability at a task, overestimate their ability. . People believe that they are more knowledgeable and capable than they really are. Essentially, low ability people do not possess the skills needed to recognize their

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You never call yourself sensei.

You see and hear a lot of different titles in Japanese martial arts. Unfortunately, a lot of people have little or no idea how these titles and honorifics are actually used. . Now, if you are following Karate and using Japanese language in your dojo or school, then you should know how to use these

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“The only difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.”

“The only difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” – Jimmy Johnson . As a senior teacher, seeing this in students and instructors, going that extra distance, that extra effort, seeing the connections made and that light-bulb moment. As a teacher, it is why we teach. Seeing the extraordinary……. . (McDojo rant begins)

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Educating hearts and minds.

“The strength of the dojo lies not within the four walls, rather it lies within the hearts of the students.” ~ Prince Loeffler Shugyokan Dojo . . Many teachers—especially new teachers—think that the way to create good relationships with their students is to make their dojo fun. Although having fun in the dojo is important,

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