Sometimes a student freezes. Not because they don’t know a technique – but because the expected sequence has disappeared. That is the moment training becomes real. In my last article, I wrote that cooperation is not the same as pressure – that structure without uncertainty becomes choreography. The natural question follows. How do we introduce uncertainty…
Tag: Sensei
Cooperation Is Not Pressure.
In my last article, I wrote that before there were kata, there were two people working together. That order matters. But working together is not the same as working under pressure. There is a difference between training with a partner and training against uncertainty. And that difference matters. Many schools spend a great deal of time…
Before There Were Kata.
Kata Came Later In my previous article, I wrote that training existed first and kata came later. That order matters. Before forms were formalized, people trained together. They worked through problems with a partner. They tested movement under pressure. They adjusted and refined what was useful. Think about that for a moment. It had to be…
Context Before Criticism. Without it – It’s Just Opinion.
Recently there was a video clip doing the usual rounds on social media of a highly skilled and knowledgeable karate instructor being ridiculed for his defense against an ‘oi zuki’ attack. Now I am usually the first to criticize any kind of step-kumite drill as practically useless for anything but the drill itself. However, in…
You Can’t Learn Awareness With Your Eyes Closed – or in a Workshop.
I’ve written extensively about awareness in my recent articles, and some of the comments have been quite illuminating. I keep returning to this subject, which should tell you something: the misunderstandings around it are persistent. One in particular stood out. . People often talk about “learning awareness” as if it’s a checklist or a memory…
Most Real Self‑Protection is Invisible. It’s The Decision You Make Early Enough That Nothing Happens.
If you are like most people, you probably hope you will never have to face real violence. . Recently I wrote about awareness, because the best self-defense decisions often happen long before anything physical begins. The earlier you notice a problem, the more options you have. Sometimes the best outcome is simply stepping off the…
More Than One Thing: What Training Was Supposed to Be.
I was fourteen years old when I began practicing karate. At the time, I had no clear idea of what I was looking for. . Behind the repetition, the discipline, and the physical effort, I was told that there was a path concerned with understanding oneself as much as learning technique. . The karate available…
Issho Kenmei: Training as if This Moment Matters.
In karate we often hear ‘ganbaru’ – do your best, keep going, push through. It’s a useful sentiment, but it doesn’t quite reach the depth of what older martial traditions expected from a practitioner. For that, there is a sterner, more honest practice. It’s called ‘Issho Kenmei’. . It’s not about effort in theory. It…
Standards, Verification, and the Responsibilities of Senior Practitioners.
After enough years in the martial arts, you stop asking only what is legitimate, and start asking how legitimacy should be handled. . Senior rank does not just confer authority. It reveals how someone behaves when given the power to accept or reject others. . In every generation of martial arts, there is a tension…
What Remains When Distraction Is Removed – Awareness Is Not a Drill.
In my recent article I talked about awareness – something everyone should be thinking about in relation to self-defense. Even if your goals are elsewhere, such as competition, awareness still matters. . But the question that always follows is this: how do you train it? . Awareness isn’t trained by adding content. It’s trained by…
Self-Defense Starts Long Before the First Strike.
Self-defense. It’s mostly about the fight, right? After all, that’s what the vast majority of training in the dojo is geared toward. . But when I speak of self-defense, I’m not talking about kumite drills or sparring. I’m talking about what happens in the real world, where the possibility of actual physical harm exists. ….