What are the injury risks in karate?

For our students, fortunately injuries a rare occurrence at our Dojo. However, there are some injuries such as bruises, sprains and strains that can occur despite everyone’s best efforts. . Martial arts are a surprisingly safe form of physical activity, controlled training is statistically very safe. . Training injuries unfortunately do happen. If you train…

The wearing of the “Aka Obi”. The Red Belt.

Titles, belts and grades are often discussed in the martial arts, and is usually a topic of contention. . Often it’s people who don’t even know each other personally and decide to head off into a diatribe of hatred and abuse. It’s usually coming from people who are lower grade black belts that have never…

Knife attacks are complex.

Defense against knife attacks remains one of the most contentious parts of the martial arts. Very few instructors actually have any substantial experience of this type of violence and it’s a very difficult and complex topic. . Most of what is taught in martial arts classes is passed on by instructors who have never used…

Understand that your karate has some practices that are dysfunctional.

Mark Bishop(2) martial arts author and researcher, recounts that Shinpan Shiroma, a student of Anko Itosu, often admitted to not knowing the technical functions of some movements of kata, merely explaining that they were for show. . Itosu was in his 70’s when he finalized the Pinan kata and began teaching them within his school…

Bad guys don’t play by a rulebook.

Training in martial arts or self-defense only improves your chances in a real life scenario. A little training improves your chances a little. A lot of training improves your chances a lot. No amount of training will guarantee anything except to know that avoiding a fight is the best option, and you should have learned…

Only a rank novice would open with a double kick.

Kicks in kata are usually single in usage. However, there are a few kata that contain multiple kicks. So what use are these multiple kicks contained within the kata? . A kata that comes to mind is ‘Kusanku’ (there are others). The kick in question, often labeled as “Nidan geri” (二段). When I translate this,…

When is it appropriate to use a kick in self-defense?

There are many more hand techniques in kata than kicks, and when there is a kick, usually there is only one (there are a few kata with multiple kicks). . Kicking is probably the least effective of all the combative methods. Why? Because your motion and stability are severely reduced the instant you take your…