I remember some time ago visiting a dojo to teach. Hanging on the wall was the syllabus the students had to follow. One of the kata I had chosen to teach that day wasn’t listed, and they remarked that they didn’t need to learn it because it wasn’t on the syllabus. . We all want…
Tag: Sensei
Understanding Without Permission, Discomfort With Independent Thought.
Why do some discussions shift from reality to rank the moment clarity or experience is questioned? . This question came up recently in response to one of my articles: “Are the views stated your own views, or are they transmitted from your teachers?” . On the surface, it sounds reasonable. But it reveals something deeper…
Waiting for the Lightbulb Moment – When Patience Becomes an Excuse.
A comment on one of my articles suggested that Western students want answers immediately, whereas the Japanese are prepared to wait patiently for a ‘lightbulb moment’. . In other words, understanding should come to us in its own time, and until then we simply repeat. . There is some truth in this, but it is…
Repetition Without Understanding Is Just Practice in Error.
Repetition. You must perform a movement hundreds of times for it to become automatic, instinctive. . Students need repeated exposure over time for skills and understanding to settle into long-term memory. . But there’s an obvious problem that rarely gets addressed. . What happens if you’re repeating something the wrong way hundreds of times? ….
Kata Must Survive Failure, Not Choreography.
In my last couple of articles I wrote about sequences in kata. Yes, of course they exist, but relying on them like a script is simply not feasible. No one knows what an attacker is likely to do. However, we do have clues. . Any form of martial art requires an instructor to demonstrate principles,…
Karate, Context, and the Problem With Certainty.
Following my last article, one of the comments said that karate’s Chinese influences were based on systems that used clearly defined sequences, and therefore Okinawan kata must have been designed the same way. . In that article I also mentioned that many people assume kata itself is made up of clearly defined sections – that…
Where Does a Kata Sequence Really End?
(Approx 2 minute 45 second read) I had a couple of questions in the comments on an article I wrote about understanding kata beyond individual techniques. . The first was, “When or how does one know when a particular sequence in a kata has actually finished and when the next sequence starts?” . The second…
From Power to Position: Training Smarter With Age.
(Approx 2 minute 45 second read) In my last article, I spoke about the uncomfortable reality of aging. The biological fact that a 66-year-old cannot reliably out-athlete a bigger, stronger, violent 20-year-old. . The response was telling. Some found it liberating, while others found it insulting. But once we accept that our hardware has slowed…
Experience Has Limits: You Cannot Underestimate the Untrained.
(Approx 1 minute 45 second read) Have you ever been attacked outside of the dojo? Have you ever had to deal with someone who was genuinely determined to cause you or your loved ones harm? Have you been knocked to the ground, injured, and then had to get up and run for your life? ….
Failing Your Kata: When Exhaustion Replaces Education.
(Approx 2 minute 40 second read) It is one thing to argue that kata is misunderstood as a concept, but it is another entirely to witness how that misunderstanding manifests in the daily reality of the modern dojo. . Following my previous article, a reader shared a reflection that perfectly captures the frustration felt by…
Understanding Kata Beyond Individual Techniques – Movement Over Moments.
(Approx 2 minute read) One of the most common mistakes people make when analyzing kata is treating each posture as a separate technique. . They stop the movement, freeze it, and ask, “What is this?” Then they move on to the next position and do the same thing. The result is a sequence that becomes…
Kata Only Fails When We Forget Why It Exists.
(Approx 2 minute 30 second read) As martial artists, we all have a style in which we feel comfortable. Karate, however, has been unbelievably dumbed down over the years. . Sadly, a number of individuals overlook karate’s true significance. They are not interested in its history, its influences, or where and why it was conceived….