“ The risk of learning something new is that you may have to completely change what you’re doing and what you are thinking, as a result of what you’ve learned. Yet, when you’ve reached a level of experience, you don’t want to change, you don’t want to lose everything you’ve gained. Well guess what? You…
Tag: Sensei
I hate teaching!
“Teaching is far from perfect. It’s messy, and in that mess is where you’ll craft your teaching and truly enjoy the journey.” – Lisa Dabbs . I hate teaching! . Not everyone is well suited to a position as an instructor or teacher. As you climb higher in grade it is expected of you to…
Which “box” are you in?
Should we differentiate one form of karate and its bunkai from another, rename it perhaps? As an example: Sport Karate (Bunkai), Children’s Karate (Bunkai), Practical Karate (Bunkai)? (And probably more)….. Which box would your karate fit into? . Personally, I really don’t like the modern sport karate bunkai, the type shown recently at the Olympics,…
“For me the martial arts is a search for something inside.”
“For me the martial arts is a search for something inside. It’s not just a physical discipline.” – Brandon Lee . Loyalty is a very important aspect in any relationship, but especially so in the martial arts between a student, their instructor, and their dojo. . Being a loyal person means that you keep your…
“Self-praise and over-confidence is a sickness that corrupts training.”
“Self-praise and over-confidence is a sickness that corrupts training.” – Hohan Sōken (1889-1982) Matsumura Seito Shōrin-ryū Are you consumed by the desire to want other people’s grade or title? . Comparing yourself to people around you is a trap you can easily fall into. But, trying to get ahead, or measuring your success in karate…
Are you a good role model for your students?
Anyone with any common sense (there’s not a lot of it about) knows that in self-protection, if you have to fight, you fight to flee, to escape. Not to stand there and “win”. . Just being told to “run” is not the answer, and with many instructors being extremely overweight, and many cases obese, it…
“We must think on how to preserve the original karate.”
“I want the students to understand the importance of what they are learning….we must think on how to preserve the original karate not only with words but with a sound philosophy behind it.” – Toshimitsu Arakaki 10th-dan Matsubayashi-ryu . Why is it important to save a martial arts cultural heritage or tradition? . To different…
“Kata follows the essence of martial arts which is to minimize movement.”
“Kata follows the essence of martial arts which is to minimize movement.” – Tsuguo Sakumoto 9th dan Ryuei Ryu . Karate for me is about efficiency of movement, efficiency of combat, and natural movement lies at the heart of this efficiency. . Karate has been described as unnatural movement that you do, until it becomes…
So STOP making excuses. You know when class is!
“First, we’ll make a sacred pact. I promise to teach you karate. That is my part. You promise to learn. I say you do, no questions. That is your part.” – Nariyoshi Miyagi – Miyagi-do Karate . It’s all about priorities, right? After all, you only practice a couple of times a week….. “I have…
“If someone asks what Karate is, the answer is Kata.”
“If someone asks what Karate is, the answer is Kata. Karate is the act of inheriting a Kata from the master. It is the act of guarding the Kata inherited from the master. It is to nurture someone and make someone grow.” – Yamashiro Yoshitomo Okinawa Kenpo . What is the true meaning of the…
What works best…. is what works best.
Human beings are emotional creatures. In the battle between emotions, common sense and logic, emotions win, always . I prefer to look at my karate from a logical and common sense perspective, with a view to developing functional combative skill. . Logical thinking is a process of exploring different solutions to a given problem. ….
“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
Despite the differences in origin and style, most martial arts consist of similar techniques and skills that form a base for the art. . Most people believe that karate is a strike-only martial art. Wrong! Karate contains a whole arsenal of grabbing and throwing techniques in addition to striking. Traditional kata are full of it,…