“We must be careful not to overlook the fact that kata, and the body positions that comprises them, are just templates of sort; it is their application in combat which needs to be mastered.” – Motobu Choki (1870-1944) . The term “bunkai” (分解), meaning ‘disassembly’, does not refer to a technique of any kind. It […]
Kata, IS the heart of karate. Read More »
Are traditional martial arts dying? . Most martial arts were created at a specific period in time in ancient history to protect its practitioners from a civilian, non-consensual attack. Times have changed to a point where some martial arts training is no longer practical for today’s world. There are many martial artists who are unaware
Are traditional martial arts dying? Read More »
It’s not how much you know that counts, but how much you can recall under stress. . Most effective self-protection practitioners, have a ‘main toolkit’ which gives them something they can use in most situations, plus a larger collection of more specialized techniques that they may use if the right circumstances present themselves. . It
It’s not how much you know that counts, but how much you can recall under stress. Read More »
Are there “cults” in the martial arts? . I regularly have interactions with people who refer to their style or school as the strongest or the best, a genuine fighting style. They insist their style or school is authentic, and that it follows a lineage back to the creator of that style. It led me
Are there “cults” in the martial arts? Read More »
Self-defense is defined as the right to prevent suffering force or violence through the use of a sufficient level of counteracting force or violence. This definition is simple enough on face value, but it raises many questions when applied to actual situations. . For instance, what is a sufficient level of force or violence when
Train hard, yes; ….. but train right. Read More »
Okay… I will get the rant out of the way first… Why, are there so many stupid people commenting about the martial arts, and karate in general? . Let me explain. . There are endless comments…. no drivel, about karate can’t do this, and karate can’t do that. Throws in karate are taken from Judo,
Karate IS effective! Read More »
“Karate has many stances; it also has none”. – Genwa Nakasone (1895-1978) . In the dojo there is so much time spent perfecting a static stance, almost to the nth degree. But a common complaint about karate, and its kata, is that the stances are impractical, that one would never use such stances in a
“Karate has many stances; it also has none”. Read More »
“Kata is Karate.” – Naonobu Ahagon 10th Dan Okinawa Shorin-Ryu Karate & Kobudo, holder of the Okinawa Prefecture Cultural Merit Award. . Kata is a library of self-protection techniques in karate. Each kata creator encoded their specific knowledge into each movement of the kata they made. Kata are not simply a record of techniques; rather
Can you block a punch? . As an experiment, I told one of my students where I was going to strike him, which hand I was going to use, and the type of strike I intended to try and hit him with. I asked him to block it….. Nine times out of ten, he couldn’t.
Can you block a punch? Read More »
“In karate, the most important thing is kata. Into the kata of karate are woven every manner of attack and defense technique. Therefore, kata must be practiced properly, with a good understanding of their bunkai meaning. There may be those who neglect the practice of kata, thinking that it is sufficient to just practice [pre-arranged]
“Real karate is for self-defense and kata bunkai is the main tool for this.” Read More »
“My police work influenced my drive to seek practical application practices and not be content with simplistic explanations that might not survive the rigor of an actual confrontation.” (End quote) – Taira Masaji 9th dan Goju Ryu . A technique might work very well against somebody who is your friend in the dojo, using only
“No fight [is] perfect that is not done in force and true time.” Read More »
The technique doesn’t work when your partner is resisting! . A lot of martial arts techniques and applications, in my humble opinion, don’t work against a non-compliant opponent, especially so when applied in the ways that the vast majority of people try to apply it. . Most martial artists, traditional and modern, are in
The technique doesn’t work when your partner is resisting! Read More »
