“In Shogen-ryu there is no unnecessary movement. Everything is connected to the next move. And there is speed in that movement. I’m slow, but Taba Sensei’s karate was so fast, it was too quick to see with your eyes. I work hard to follow my teacher’s example, but it is very difficult.” (End quote)…
Tag: Black-Belt
“Strength training is the starting point for my techniques.”
“Strength training is the starting point for my techniques, and it’s actually very important for this reason. You must do it. For any technique to be properly stabilized, basic physical strength is essential. Therefore, I perform strength training with the following philosophy in mind; great technique in kata can only be achieved with having a…
“Karate makes true friends.”
“Karate makes true friends.” – Naka Tatsuya 7th dan Shotokan JKA . Too often some instructors ruin their legacy, and the legacy of others, due to their ego. They rely on their own ideas too much, avoid useful criticism, and can even bully their students into silence. Their self-centered attitudes and approaches create a stressful…
Always do your best.
“ ‘Ishiki’ (意識) is very important. ‘Awareness – Take more attention and focus’. Without ‘Ishiki’: you wouldn’t realize what is happening here and there. By doing it you see and realize things happening. During everyday training with more attention and focus you will see and realize how your stance, form and technique are. Do not…
To be a master you must be a great & humble student.
I have learned that you cannot teach someone who doesn’t want to learn or grow. Without that desire, there is no use in advising or coaching them, because it just won’t work. People reach a particular level of knowledge because their interests and motivations bring them to a point, but then they don’t want to…
Fake black belts and McDojo’s; Should We Get Angry?
Imagine the fear. You have been training in your dojo for a few years, but a weird feeling is slowly creeping up on you, giving you that uncomfortable sensation in the pit of your stomach. . You gradually start noticing things. You start seeing stuff in a new light, and day by day you realize…
The most advanced thing you can do, are the basics.
“The most advanced thing you can do, are the basics, consistently.” ~ Morio Higaonna 10th Dan Goju Ryu . Train your basics everyday to improve in your karate training; it sounds so logical and makes so much sense. Now, it’s up to you, the student(s), to rise to the challenge. . It’s true, through daily…
“In karate, hitting, thrusting, and kicking are not the only methods..”
“In karate, hitting, thrusting, and kicking are not the only methods, throwing techniques and pressure against joints are included.” ~ Gichin Funakoshi . Many students, and instructors, who stand toe-to-toe and exchange techniques, forget (or should that be neglect?) that at some point in a self-protection/self-defense scenario, you will undoubtably end up in a clinch….
Don’t be a dimwit!
Continuing the McDojo theme…… In the field of psychology, the Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people with low ability at a task, overestimate their ability. . People believe that they are more knowledgeable and capable than they really are. Essentially, low ability people do not possess the skills needed to recognize their…
You never call yourself sensei.
You see and hear a lot of different titles in Japanese martial arts. Unfortunately, a lot of people have little or no idea how these titles and honorifics are actually used. . Now, if you are following Karate and using Japanese language in your dojo or school, then you should know how to use these…
Are you a good mentor, a good role model?
The martial arts are known to enhance the abilities of students beyond just the physical. Growth can be seen in many areas such as self esteem, confidence, focus, self-defense, self-control, discipline. The positive changes students achieve in martial arts is significant. However, the positive effects do not stop there, an inspiring teacher, mentor, coach, or…
“No legacy is so rich as honesty.”
Walter Lippmann the author and political commentator said, “The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind in others the conviction and will to carry on.” ….. Ultimately, if your people can’t do it without you, you haven’t been successful in raising up other leaders. . We have all heard that “when the…