If you call YOURSELF “master” or “sensei” you probably aren’t one. I see this so often, especially on social media. – Come on guys..… let go of that EGO! . If you teach karate and are using Japanese language in your dojo or school, then you should know how to use these titles, or specifically,…
Category: Martial Arts
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
If you want to be skilled at karate, do what skilled karate people do: train each day! If you get into the habit of daily training, you will surprise yourself with how much progress you can make. . I often get asked “how can I improve my karate?” The answer is really very simple…… Practice….
The one word that separates the greats from the average. DISCIPLINE.
Passionately chase your dream. . In all honesty, this is the only way to do it. The mistake people make is trying to become motivated, they think it’s something you either have, or you don’t have. Unfortunately, you have to work at motivation. This means you have to actively tell yourself that you will go…
“Karate has many stances; it also has none”.
“Karate has many stances; it also has none”. – Nakasone Genwa (1895-1978) . Fundamental to the improvement of your karate technique is correct and balanced form. . In karate, ‘stance’ refers to the position of the lower body, the hips and the legs, which literally carry the upper body. Thus techniques are at their best…
The process of ‘shime’ for Sanchin kata is about cooperation and study, and not brute force.
Shime (締め) testing is a two-person drill which serves as a way of testing a practitioner’s ability to apply the strategies and principles of Sanchin kata. . The idea behind the testing is to have the practitioner placed under a load, to evaluate their structure. . The testing involves putting pressure on the practitioner’s body….
Here is the bottom line: You DON’T want to get into street fights.
Real fights are messy, full of uncertainty, sloppy, falling down and scrambling up, feints, lucky shots. Street fights are quick and aren’t run over several rounds like an arranged fight. . If you know for sure another person is going to attack you and is cornering you, you’ll be at a major disadvantage if that…
Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.
“We all have inner demons to fight, we call these demons, fear and hatred and anger. If you do not conquer them then a life of one hundred years is a tragedy. If you do, then a life of a single day can be a triumph.” – Yip Man . You run into lots of…
“In Okinawa, belt mean no need rope hold up pants.”
Modern-day students of karate generally assume that the ranking system of kyu (color belt) and dan (black belt) levels, and the various titles that high-ranking black belts hold, are, like the kata, a part of karate tradition extending back centuries. . However, the ranking system itself dates back only to the early 20th century. ….
But believe it or not, there are other things in life besides the dojo.
I love training. I love budo, it’s a major PART of my life….. but it’s not my whole life. Although at times I seem to think of nothing else. It enhances my life, makes my life richer, and enhances my health and sense of well-being. I enjoy it a lot. Training in budo, apart form…
“Bu, starts with Rei and ends with Rei.”
Ojigi (お辞儀) – Bowing in Japan is the act of lowering your head or the upper part of the torso, commonly used as a sign of salutation, reverence, apology or gratitude in social or religious situations. . Bowing is extremely important in Japan, children normally begin learning how to bow at a very young age,…
Indecision can kill.
Indecision can kill. . Think about the last time you had to deal with a problem but couldn’t come up with a single possible solution…… Making any decision, even if it’s not the best, is better than freezing and making no decision. ** **Indecision kills. . In real world self-defense, awareness and Information is an…
“The beauty of a move lies not in its appearance but in the thought behind it.”
Facing forward in kata and then turning to the left, or right, to meet an incoming attack (whatever that might be), makes no sense at all. Yet today this is still being taught to students. . Throughout the history of karate we have some of the creators of kata informing us….. what they are trying…