“Real karate is for self-defense and kata bunkai is the main tool for this.” . . Yoshio Kuba 10th dan Goju Ryu, repeating a quote from Gogen Yamaguchi. ? . . It is all in the kata. Understand the combative principles contained within them and you will find that you are able to extract a myriad…
Year: 2020
Okinawan karate is more than martial arts
“Okinawan karate is more than martial arts. It is a way of cultivating the spirit.” . “We avoid conflicts and prefer peace — that is the legacy of Miyagi Sensei, founder of Goju-ryu. Karate is not for attacking people, there is no way you will deal the first blow in a fight. The greatest secret…
Learn the history and culture of Okinawan karate
“Do not become bored with your training, learn the history and culture of Okinawan karate….” ?? . Shintoku Takara 10th dan Uechi-ryu 90 years of age, certified holder for the prefecture designated intangible cultural property. . . Master Shintoku Takara was born 1930, in Okinawa. He was a student of Kenei Uechi the son of…
Control your ego
“Control your ego properly because the true enemy is inside yourself and this is the toughest opponent to beat.” ?? . Have you checked your ego lately? Keeping ego in check means we must examine who we are, what we want, how we treat others, and our overall actions. Keep self-importance under control: . Who are…
The hardest punch I’ve ever experienced
Too many students (and some instructors) rely solely on their body-weight when performing punches, without thinking to “connect”, transferring the energy from your feet, through to your fist as you hit with your entire body. . It’s NOT the style of karate that has power. NO one style is stronger than any other, regardless of…
Okinawan karate is not simply a martial art, but a life art
Okinawan Karate was traditionally taught in modest home Dojos, in small informal groups. The sole purpose of teachings revolved around life preservation, in a closely tied supportive environment; unlike main island modern Japanese Karate with rivalry and competition, instructed in large groups belonging to even larger organizations. . Try to understand that true Okinawan karate…
Life lessons kids learn from martial arts.
PARENTS. Life lessons kids learn from martial arts. . Because of what we see in the media, movies and television, martial arts can sometimes have a bad reputation with parents, especially if they don’t know very much about the martial arts. . If you’re a parent and your child trains in the martial arts, or…
Everyone has a goal.
“Everyone has a goal. Whether that is to become a world champion or not doesn’t really matter. . Although your goal may often look hard to achieve at first, if you continually make efforts toward your goal, then your time, energy and commitment will never have been wasted. . So, keep it up as much…
When do you know when it’s time to quit?
When do you know when it’s time to quit? . We as martial artists are constantly told “never give up”. Is this realistic? When is it, the right time to give up? . Everything comes down to the importance of the goal we want to reach. We will encounter problems, doubts in anything serious we…
“No one is perfect, but we can all become a little better if we keep trying.” . “If you teach Karate, you have to practice regularly yourself. You have to practice harder and more than your students. If you have practiced for long enough, Karate is inside you and you can train wherever you are”. ??…
Our focus is self-defense first.
“Our focus is self-defense first. . As me and my brother are involved in MMA you learn a lot with those techniques. But when you do a little research, we found these techniques are already in karate. . Modern karate does not focus too much on self-defense, so they are losing the main technique of…
Karate is never about what you are wearing around your waist.
“Karate is in the mind. Karate is in the heart. Karate is never about what you are wearing around your waist.” ~ Mr. Miyagi . . Look beyond the color of the belt around your waist. Shodan is just the beginning, the understanding of basics. Nidan the 2nd level, sandan the 3rd. . If you…