(Approx 2 minute 5 second read) I was up at 5:30 this morning and popped into my home dojo. . Dark outside, nothing stirring, it was so quiet, just how I like it. . The door to the dojo swung open with its familiar creak, I must oil those hinges, and I felt this wave […]
Before the Day Begins: Just Me, the Mats, and the Makiwara. Read More »
(Approx 2 minute 20 second read) The phrase “karate ni sente nashi”, often mistakingly translated as “there is no first attack in karate”, has been repeated by karate-ka for generations. . Gichin Funakoshi made this principle the second of his Niju Kun (Twenty Precepts), reminding us that “karate begins and ends with courtesy”. . However,
Karate ni Sente Nashi: There’s No First Attack… Or Is There? Read More »
(Approx 2 minute 20 second read) In a real fight, the one who hesitates usually loses. There’s a reason for that, and it’s not just instinct, it’s science. . Hick’s Law tells us that the more choices we have, the slower our reaction time becomes. . The brain has to sort through options before committing
Ever Seen Someone Freeze in a Fight? It May Not Be Fear – It’s Just Too Many Options. Read More »
(Approx 2 minute 40 second read) How do we use kata effectively? . I don’t mean the bunkai demonstrations you see at tournaments and in some dojo where you are attacked from many different angles by many people. I’m talking about real effective defense. . Someone recently asked me a simple question: “How do you
Unlocking the Combative Meaning Often Hidden in Kata. Read More »
(Approx 2 minute read) Is doing your best always enough? . In my view – yes. There’s nothing more you can do than your best. That doesn’t mean you can’t improve. It means that right now, with what you know and understand, you’re giving everything you’ve got. Your “best” is a flexible, honest commitment to
The Spirit of Karate Begins with How You Do the Simplest Things. Read More »
(Approx 2 minute 15 second read) Someone said to me recently that I keep writing about the same thing, and that this page “used to be great”. It was meant as criticism, and I’ll admit, it stung a bit. But maybe it’s true that I keep coming back to the same subject. Perhaps that’s because
Karate: A Journey Through Many Paths. Read More »
(Approx 2 minute 50 second read) Apparently, I need to “be educated”. . The saga about step-kumite will not leave me alone, it seems. Another high-ranking instructor from a well-known association sent me a Facebook message to tell me how wrong I am because, wait for it… step-kumite was never designed to be effective (in
Educating the Ignorant (That Would Be Me): Apparently, I Need to Be Educated. Read More »
(Approx 1 minute 55 second read) If you’ve spent any time defending the practicality of Okinawan karate, you’ve probably run into detractors. I know I have. . When karate moved from Okinawa to mainland Japan, pioneers like Gichin Funakoshi faced a challenge: how to get an unknown martial art accepted into a national system built
Are We Practicing Karate or Borrowing from Kendo? Did Modern History Shape Our Training? Read More »
(Approx 2 minute 20 second read) There is a staggering amount of misinformation surrounding the martial arts, and karate in particular. . I don’t know about you guys, but it pops up in my social media feeds every day. The fact that anyone can tell truth from fiction at all is remarkable. . Recently I
Turn Left in Kata for Traffic Control? Really? Come on. Read More »
(Approx 2 minute 50 second read) What was kata originally? A mnemonic – a way to remember, when alone, the two-person drills already learned with a teacher. . Those two-person drills would each have had a subject, a concept, to work on. For example: how to escape a clothing grab. We still do that today
(Approx 2 minute 25 second read) Kata are not just sequences of techniques, they are repositories of information, each built around a central theme. . One kata might deal with preventing grabs, breaking grips, countering when that fails, and then controlling or escaping, all from the same starting point. By studying kata this way, we
Reading the Message in Kata – The Theme Comes First. Read More »
(Approx 2 minute 35 second read) We call them the old masters, but what did that title truly mean? In an era before standardized ranks, how was genuine mastery actually measured? . Mastery in the martial arts is a touchy subject. There are self-proclaimed “masters” that we tend to sneer at. Some styles call instructors
Old Masters, New Lessons: The Endless Path, Not a Finish Line. Read More »
