(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:…
Tag: Fighting
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…
More Than Childcare: Equipping Children for True Real-World Safety.
(Approx 2 minute 40 second read) A little while ago I had a mother and young son join the dojo. I love it when families train together, it’s really enjoyable when we have a mixed class. . One evening, I was teaching the youngsters how to be an awkward, real pain, difficult ‘little ‘un’, if…
Movement, Not a Catalog of Techniques: Reconnecting Karate with Practical Applications.
(Approx 2 minute 45 second read) Can you think of another pastime, hobby, sport, or functional defensive practice where there is so much ambiguity? . If I was teaching you advanced ‘blue-lights and siren’ driving skills (I used to), and I answered a question that was so plainly incorrect it would put your life and…
No, You Can’t Mug Me Today. I Just Train for Fun!
(Approx 1 minute 50 second read) I recently had a persistent commenter on my Facebook page, a person who, every time I posted an article about self-defense, would jump in to say that in his 40 years of training, he has never had to use self-defense. He claimed that he trains purely for fun and…
Lessons from the Past: Do Some Traditions Fail in Self-Defense?
(Approx 2 minute 35 second read) Social media today is flooded with people showing off their ideas of bunkai applications. Every day, my feed is full of someone performing something or other. . Sometimes, these ideas are just cringeworthy, so I move on. It’s not worth losing time over. . Now, I get that for…
Meeting it Head-On: Shouldn’t Angles Define Kata and Your Responses?
(Approx 2 minute 20 second read) I’m writing about angles again as I had so many comments and messages about this, I want to try and make my case a little clearer. . When you’re in the dojo and you begin to practice any step-kumite, drills, or sparring, you stand facing an opponent, right? ….
“Self-Praise and Over-Confidence is a Sickness That Corrupts Training.”
(Approx 1 minute 45 second read) Confidence is something every martial artist needs. Without it, even the most skilled person can freeze when it matters most. I’ve written about this recently – the impact of how a lack of confidence can ruin any skill you may have. . However, just as too little confidence is…
Thinking for Yourself: Breaking Free from the Illusion in Karate.
(Approx 2 minute 40 second read) “What the herd hates most is the one who thinks differently; it is not so much the opinion itself, but the audacity of wanting to think for themselves, something that they do not know how to do.” – Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) . Karate, and the martial arts in general,…
The Training That Forged Us: Built by the Past. The Lessons That Shaped Us.
(Approx 1 minute 35 second read) My recent article* about the old days – when fighting was tough, and injuries were just part of training – got a lot of responses. Not surprising really many of us experienced something similar. . To be honest, most of the comments were reflective. Those of us who lived…
No Pads, No Limits – The Way We Trained.
(Approx 1 minute 40 second read) Those of us who have been around in the martial arts for a while remember a time when there was no equipment. We never wore gloves, helmets, or protective gear of any kind when we fought. We had no pads to hit – we hit each other. . We…
Getting Off the Attack Line: Enbusen and the Reality of Angles in Kata.
(Approx 2 minute 50 second read) If you were unfortunate enough to be attacked outside the dojo, doesn’t common sense tell you that getting out of the way would be a good idea? . Kata is full of principles covering a wide range of scenarios, and one of the most important lessons is – getting…