(Approx 1 minute 55 second read) Step into a traditional karate dojo, and the first thing you’ll do is take off your shoes (hopefully). . Like most Japanese budo – with the exception of kyudo (Japanese archery) – karate is traditionally practiced hadashi (裸足), barefoot. There are plenty of reasons for this, some cultural, some…
Tag: Bunkai
Blinded by Assumptions: Think You Know? Maybe You Should Think Again.
(Approx 1 minute 55 second read) I love the comments section on my articles – it gives me a moment to reflect and put my thoughts together for another article. . Assumptions – they often lead to misunderstanding and conflict. Some comments come from people who misread my article, people who don’t know me at…
Rattling the Cage: Karate and the Questioning Mind.
(Approx 2 minute 20 second read) My first exposure to karate was Wado-Ryu in 1974. The bulk of the classes focused on the basics, with plenty of exercises thrown in to keep things ‘enjoyable’. . Of course, there was kata and I was told that it required years of dedicated practice to truly understand, yet…
Personal Safety: Self-defense Goes Way Beyond the Physical.
(Approx 2 minute 5 second read) A little while ago, I was approached by some of the moms of the younger students, asking if I would be interested in doing a self-defense course for them. None of them had ever practiced the martial arts before. . Normally, I would encourage anyone to join our classes…
Beyond the syllabus: True progress starts when you look deeper.
(Approx 2 minute 10 second read) I remember a little while ago being invited to teach at a dojo and hanging on the wall in plain sight was the curriculum or syllabus they followed. It was structured, organized, and served as a clear guide for what students were expected to learn. . But as I…
When Self-Defense is Just Pruning Your Roses.
(Approx 2 minute 55 second read) What is awareness, and why is it so important in self-defense? . Many practitioners focus solely on physical techniques, treating force as the solution to every problem. Some even adopting a fight-first mentality, giving little more than lip service to avoidance. . But we all know that avoidance is…
Purpose-Driven Practice: Cut Through the Unnecessary, Focus on Function.
(Approx 2 minute 40 second read) Over the years, karate has been modified to fit a non-combative formula such as competition, athleticism, style, and aesthetics. However, traditionally, karate – and its kata – were designed as records of practical fighting methods for civilian self-defense. . Now, I understand that not everyone trains for self-defense or…
From Tradition to Function: Making Every Stance Count.
(Approx 2 minute 25 second read) In everyday English, we use the word ‘stance’ to infer a fixed, unchanging position or viewpoint. This common usage of the word can confuse people into thinking that we utilize our karate ‘stances’ in the same way, that they represent a fixed position….. They do not! . A recent…
Can You Really Apply That Lock? Reality vs. Fantasy.
(Approx 1 minute 55 second read) Some of the comments I receive on my articles are truly remarkable (I’m being polite here). They certainly inspire me to write, so I suppose I shouldn’t complain. . Recently, a few people argued that fine motor skills work under high stress – some comparing the skills of martial…
Cognitive Dissonance in Training: When Belief Clashes with Reality.
(Approx 1 minute 50 second read) A friend of mine reminded me, in relation to an article I wrote about keeping karate grounded in reality when approaching self-defense, about cognitive dissonance in the martial arts. . Ever feel that discomfort when two ideas just don’t sit right? . That’s cognitive dissonance. . We dedicate years…
No One Size Fits All: Are You Training for the Wrong Fight? Finding Your Path in Martial Arts.
(Approx 2 minute 50 second read) Whenever I write an article about real-world self-defense, the comments seem to explode into “my style is the best”. . I don’t think a lot of these people actually train themselves – maybe keyboard warriors, maybe just inexperienced – but these comments usually revolve around one style in particular:…
The Ugly Truth of Self-defense – Keep Your Training Grounded.
(Approx 2 minute read) A comment on one of my articles about self-defense challenged my point that techniques in real combat should rely mostly on gross motor skills. The commentator disagreed, insisting that fine motor skills work just as well in such scenarios. I’m not sure he had any experience in this, as he didn’t…