Where modern karate goes wrong in self-defense is where fighting comes first. . Street fighting and self-defense are two different things. Most people think about this as the same, even martial artists. They are not. In street fighting you are basically a fool that lets your ego expose you to danger. Street fighting is for…
Category: Self-Defense
Naihanchi (ナイハンチ) Kata
Naihanchi (ナイハンチ) . The kata Naihanchi is said to mean ‘sideways fighting’ due to the kata’s distinctive embusen (floor pattern), but is also translated as ‘internal divided conflict’, it is practiced in many styles of karate today. . Gichin Funakoshi renamed the kata Tekki (Iron Horse) in reference to his old teacher, Anko Itosu, and…
My karate is SUPERIOR to yours.
My karate is stronger, tougher, more athletic…. it’s superior to yours! . Really? It’s superior in all things?….. . You have to define what you mean by “superior”. I’m assuming that when people say a “superior karate style”, they mean the best in terms of effectiveness and practicality…… But superior, WHERE? In the dojo? In…
“Tournament fighting is very different to an actual confrontation.”
“Tournament fighting is very different to an actual confrontation, which often happens without warning and at close range. We do not practice ‘sparring’ in this fashion.” (End quote) – Taira Masaji 9th dan Goju Ryu . A technique might work very well against another practitioner in the dojo, using only passive resistance against you. However,…
Control an attacker, don’t give them the chance to control you.
Irimi (入り身) is a Japanese martial arts term meaning “to enter with body”. An ‘irimi’ motion is one which describes when someone enters towards another. It’s a rather simple definition but performing it, especially under stress or pressure, can be quite difficult. . Perhaps a more meaningful way of using Irimi is to understand it as…
Moving to an angle is a key principle in karate.
“At rest, the fist and the body must be able to instantly react to anything from any direction. The same applies to one’s heels — the heels must be prepared to shift the body in any direction without hesitation.” – Hironori Otsuka 10th Dan Wado-Ryu (1892-1982) from the book ‘Wado Ryu Karate’ . In actual…
There is NOT one system or style that is the best or ‘strongest’.
Recently someone tried to argue that their style of karate was the strongest. Bluntly informing me that because their athletes were successful in competition going back to the 1960’s, it was the ultimate, the strongest, and the best martial art. I tried to explain that there is not one style that is the best in…
“There is only one opponent and he is in front of you.”
“There is only one opponent and he is in front of you. Turning to face a new direction while performing the kata does not mean you are turning to face a new opponent.” ~ Seikichi Toguchi (1917-1998) . (Begin Mabuni quote) – “The meaning of the directions in kata is not well understood, and frequently…
Kata, the management of failure.
“We learned karate that was to be used in real-life situations. If you don’t continue to train with that sense of there being a real opponent, you won’t be able to respond in that kind of situation.” – Takeshi Tamaki 10th dan Shorin-ryu . Kata, the management of failure. . What does this mean?…… In…
“Karate ni sente nashi” (空手に先手なし)
“Karate ni sente nashi” (空手に先手なし), typically translated as, “There is no first attack in karate.” . Gichin Funakoshi made this principle the second of his “Niju Kun” (Twenty Precepts), reminding us that “karate begins and ends with courtesy”. . Karate and particularly kata, often suffers a bad name for being outdated and unrealistic. In my…
“Kata without bunkai is like a shamisen (3 string Okinawan guitar); Nice sound, but empty on the inside.”
A comment on one of my recent articles stated; “I don’t believe in bunkai.” . To comment that; “I don’t believe in bunkai” is an extraordinary thing to say. Someone who really doesn’t understand their martial arts. But unfortunately, they really believe in their statement. And this is all too common. . What does “bunkai”…
“Old style karate involved only what would be useful.”
Here is a comment posted on a recent YouTube video. (I won’t mention any names)…… “I post this as a person who has trained many years in karate, then to judo and jujitsu, and then to boxing. I would also say, I have spent many years in law enforcement roles and I know what works….