(Approx 2 minute read) Most people look at kata and see “blocking”. It’s the word everyone recognizes, drilled into beginners from day one. But kata teach far more than simply stopping a strike. A more accurate term is “receiving”. . So what does it mean to receive rather than block? . It’s common for less…
Tag: Masters
Karate ni Sente Nashi: There’s No First Attack… Or Is There?
(Approx 2 minute 20 second read) The phrase “karate ni sente nashi”, often mistakingly translated as “there is no first attack in karate”, has been repeated by karate-ka for generations. . Gichin Funakoshi made this principle the second of his Niju Kun (Twenty Precepts), reminding us that “karate begins and ends with courtesy”. . However,…
Educating the Ignorant (That Would Be Me): Apparently, I Need to Be Educated.
(Approx 2 minute 50 second read) Apparently, I need to “be educated”. . The saga about step-kumite will not leave me alone, it seems. Another high-ranking instructor from a well-known association sent me a Facebook message to tell me how wrong I am because, wait for it… step-kumite was never designed to be effective (in…
Are We Still Afraid to Ask? Why Karate Needs More Questions, Not Fewer.
(Approx 1 minute 45 second read) Sometimes you can really see why karate has been stuck in the doldrums for so long, especially when questions aren’t allowed to be asked. . I remember back in the 1970s and early 1980s, asking questions of senior instructors was just not done. “Shut up and train” was the…
Are We Practicing Karate or Borrowing from Kendo? Did Modern History Shape Our Training?
(Approx 1 minute 55 second read) If you’ve spent any time defending the practicality of Okinawan karate, you’ve probably run into detractors. I know I have. . When karate moved from Okinawa to mainland Japan, pioneers like Gichin Funakoshi faced a challenge: how to get an unknown martial art accepted into a national system built…
Turn Left in Kata for Traffic Control? Really? Come on.
(Approx 2 minute 20 second read) There is a staggering amount of misinformation surrounding the martial arts, and karate in particular. . I don’t know about you guys, but it pops up in my social media feeds every day. The fact that anyone can tell truth from fiction at all is remarkable. . Recently I…
Reading the Message in Kata – The Theme Comes First.
(Approx 2 minute 25 second read) Kata are not just sequences of techniques, they are repositories of information, each built around a central theme. . One kata might deal with preventing grabs, breaking grips, countering when that fails, and then controlling or escaping, all from the same starting point. By studying kata this way, we…
Old Masters, New Lessons: The Endless Path, Not a Finish Line.
(Approx 2 minute 35 second read) We call them the old masters, but what did that title truly mean? In an era before standardized ranks, how was genuine mastery actually measured? . Mastery in the martial arts is a touchy subject. There are self-proclaimed “masters” that we tend to sneer at. Some styles call instructors…
Karate is not merely practiced for your own benefit; it can be used to protect one’s family or master.
(Approx 2 minute 30 second read) Recently, a comment on one of my articles claimed that “there is no evidence apart from hearsay and legends regarding the martial effectiveness of our Okinawan karate forefathers.” . An interesting perspective, but it overlooks the historical and practical evidence showing that Okinawan karate was, in fact, a highly…
Karate Isn’t What You Think It Is – and Why It Might Not Save Your Life.
(Approx 2 minute 25 second read) Many of us have had remarkable teachers, people who embodied the virtues of a true martial artist. We followed them, often without question, and some even became household names in the martial arts world. . But here’s the uncomfortable truth: no matter how great the teacher, the system they…
If This Is the Standard for Practical Karate, the Bar Isn’t High – It’s Buried.
(Approx 1 minute 55 second read) A friend of mine recently sent me a video of a JKA Shotokan Dan test weekend seminar, taught by a senior JKA instructor. And guess what, five step-kumite was being practiced and taught. . Now, I have written about step-kumite extensively, and in my opinion, if you need reminding,…
Reshaped by Time: Karate Then and Now – Practical, Purposeful, Real.
(Approx 2minute 30 second read) The comments on my articles are a great way for me to think about writing again, and one such comment got me thinking about history once more. . The article was about exercise in the dojo replacing karate. A person commented that Gogen Yamaguchi would only teach exercise for many…