Hatsuko Machida is ranked 6th dan in Uechi-ryu. She teaches at the Ageda Women’s Dojo, which is unique in Okinawa for offering women only karate classes. She explained that many of her students had not been allowed to study karate when they were young, so now they embrace the opportunity to do so. ….
Tag: Masters
“I work hard to follow my teacher’s example.”
“In Shogen-ryu there is no unnecessary movement. Everything is connected to the next move. And there is speed in that movement. I’m slow, but Taba Sensei’s karate was so fast, it was too quick to see with your eyes. I work hard to follow my teacher’s example, but it is very difficult.” (End quote)…
“Never worry about what others are doing.”
“Never worry about what others are doing.” (end quote) – Zenpo Shimabukuro 10th dan Shorin-ryu Seibukan . . Some people that always seem to be preoccupied with what those around them are doing, and what those around them are saying, or posting on social media, can’t seem to get ahead with their own lives. They…
“Karate is a culture.”
“Karate is a culture. If you have a culture, you can talk with any great power on an equal footing. I hope that Okinawa’s proud traditional culture will continue to exist……[…]…I’m really happy to be involved in karate for such a long time…….” – Toyama Zenshu 10th dan Goju Ryu (end quote) . ….
“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.”
We all make mistakes, and we do so with regularity. Some errors are small, some not so. No one enjoys being wrong. It’s an unpleasant emotional experience for all of us. The question is how do we respond when it turns out we WERE wrong? . Some of us admit we were wrong and say…
“…a mind without fear..”
“The aim for personal development. Mental strength; that is a mind without fear is needed for that strength to be pursued.” – Hiroshi Akamine . Photo of Shorin Ryu Karate and Ryukyu Kobudo Master Hiroshi Akamine 9th dan with turtle shell ‘timbe’ (shield) and ‘rochin’ (short spear). . . Life just doesn’t hand you…
“You should always train with intensity and spirit.”
Okinawan Karate Pioneers. . Itosu Anko (糸州 安恒) is considered by many the father of modern karate. He was born in Ishimine, Shuri in 1831. He was a master of Karate that was active in the Ryukyu Kingdom period through the Meiji Period. Educated in the Chinese classics and calligraphy. Itosu began his ‘tode’ (karate)…
“Self-praise and over-confidence is a sickness that corrupts training.”
“Self-praise and over-confidence is a sickness that corrupts training.” – Hohan Sōken (1889-1982) Matsumura Seito Shōrin-ryū . . They once began as humble students. Although they didn’t necessarily have “talent”, they have some limited martial arts training and then self-promote themselves to a Dan [black belt] rank. After which, they open a school proclaiming to…
“How good you are, you cannot decide for yourself.”
“How good you are, you cannot decide for yourself – karate makes it that way. What you put out is what you get.” – Seikichi Iha 10th dan Shorin Ryu . . Sometimes in life, we find ourselves at a dead end, or a crossroads, or on a path that seems to go nowhere. ….
“Karate is my ‘ikigai’..”
“Karate is my ‘ikigai’, my purpose in life, practicing until the end. I have many foreign students, I want to help them develop further. I hope karate grows and grows, even after I’m gone.” . Kiyomasa Maeda 10th dan Shogen Ryu Karate-Do . . Ikigai (生き甲斐) is a Japanese concept that means “a reason for…
“..the important thing is to be on guard at all times.”
“The secret principle of martial arts is not vanquishing the attacker, but resolving to avoid an encounter before its occurrence. To become an object of an attack is an indication that there was an opening in one’s guard, and the important thing is to be on guard at all times.” – Gichin Funakoshi ?? . ….
“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…