Martial Arts

Basics are everything.

“Basics are everything.” ?? “You can’t have a strong house without a strong foundation. The stronger the basics, the stronger the house – it’s as simple as that. Unfortunately a lot of practitioners don’t understand.” ~ Fumio Demura . . . ? Photo Credit: Martial Arts Digital

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Study the old, understand the new.

温故知新 On Ko Chi Shin — “Study the old, understand the new.” . There is always something new to learn in traditional karate. Don’t stop learning because you have reached the first few black belt levels. . “Dan” (段) does not mean “degree”, it means “level” or “stage”, and 1st and 2nd dan are just

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A closed door is not an ending.

“Sometimes, you need to close certain doors… not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they don’t lead anywhere!” . Patrick McCarthy Hanshi 9th dan Koryu Uchinadi . . Sometimes not all open doors lead to opportunities, we’ve got to close some doors in our lives because they don’t lead us anywhere. .

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Fighting is what happens when self-protection goes bad.

“Remember, fighting skills aren’t the key to self-protection: fighting is what happens when self-protection goes bad.” ?? . . Self-protection, martial arts, and fighting, are not the same, they are related, but they are most definitely not the same. . As martial artists we need to understand the difference between these three concepts. They are distinctly

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The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand.

“The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand.” ~ Frank Herbert ?? . Some people love to lead and have power. There’s nothing wrong with this in itself, and it could easily lead a martial arts practitioner to become a great teacher. But if this drive becomes excessive, it can cause

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