What is it you want out of the martial arts? What is the one thing that will get you to where you want to be? . Many people look to motivation to push them toward their destination. But what happens when that motivation wears off, when the excitement declines? How can you stay committed on…
Tag: Sensei
What is tradition, or traditional, in the martial arts?
What is tradition, or traditional, in the martial arts? Who decides what it is? . Tradition can be described as; “an inherited, established or customary pattern of thought, action or behavior”. But what we refer to as “traditional” in the martial arts often isn’t traditional at all. . All of the past masters were…
Naihanchi (ナイハンチ) Kata
Naihanchi (ナイハンチ) . The kata Naihanchi is said to mean ‘sideways fighting’ due to the kata’s distinctive embusen (floor pattern), but is also translated as ‘internal divided conflict’, it is practiced in many styles of karate today. . Gichin Funakoshi renamed the kata Tekki (Iron Horse) in reference to his old teacher, Anko Itosu, and…
My karate is SUPERIOR to yours.
My karate is stronger, tougher, more athletic…. it’s superior to yours! . Really? It’s superior in all things?….. . You have to define what you mean by “superior”. I’m assuming that when people say a “superior karate style”, they mean the best in terms of effectiveness and practicality…… But superior, WHERE? In the dojo? In…
So don’t cheat. Don’t pretend you did it. Don’t lie….. WORK FOR IT.
I am often asked for answers to questions from people online that I have never met, without knowing who these people are, or what they are doing, or where they come from. There are no introductions, or any form of politeness, it’s just…. “I want information, give it to me NOW!” . Sharing knowledge is…
Sometimes its good to practice to “slow” down
Just like learning to play a musical instrument, muscle memory is built by repetition, and doing something wrong during that repetition ingrains it into your mind. It is much more beneficial to do it right the first time, than training the bad information out later on. . In the martial arts, faster is usually considered…
Control an attacker, don’t give them the chance to control you.
Irimi (入り身) is a Japanese martial arts term meaning “to enter with body”. An ‘irimi’ motion is one which describes when someone enters towards another. It’s a rather simple definition but performing it, especially under stress or pressure, can be quite difficult. . Perhaps a more meaningful way of using Irimi is to understand it as…
It’s all about priorities, right?
Martial arts training is about training both the body and the mind. Part of training the mind is discipline. The discipline to do what is necessary. . It’s all about priorities, right? After all, you only practice a couple of times a week. . When I started karate almost five decades ago, I decided to…
Moving to an angle is a key principle in karate.
“At rest, the fist and the body must be able to instantly react to anything from any direction. The same applies to one’s heels — the heels must be prepared to shift the body in any direction without hesitation.” – Hironori Otsuka 10th Dan Wado-Ryu (1892-1982) from the book ‘Wado Ryu Karate’ . In actual…
“Those who are unaware they are walking in darkness will never seek the light.”
The people who argue about kata not being relevant to real fighting or self-defense totally miss the point – in addition to being ’libraries’ of combative principles, techniques and movements, when practiced correctly they reinforce the fundamentals necessary to fight or defend oneself as effectively as possible in a civilian exchange. . People who question…
Just Relax!
Many martial artists don’t know (or can’t admit) that they’re wasting energy. They make excuses like; “Oh I just need to relax more.” or “I need to work on my cardio.” No..… you’re getting tired because you have poor technique. . And they blame poor conditioning, but the reality is, that conditioning will never compensate…
Kata, the management of failure.
“We learned karate that was to be used in real-life situations. If you don’t continue to train with that sense of there being a real opponent, you won’t be able to respond in that kind of situation.” – Takeshi Tamaki 10th dan Shorin-ryu . Kata, the management of failure. . What does this mean?…… In…