(Approx 2 minute 20 second read) After decades of practicing and teaching karate, and several years of writing about it, I’m still surprised by how many misconceptions and misinformation continue to swirl around this art. Whether in the dojo or online, I regularly encounter the same misunderstandings repeated. . Karate is not as complicated as…
Tag: Kata
The Trouble With Trying to Do It All: Have Clarity of Purpose and Choose the Right Path.
(Approx 2 minute 45 second read) All combat sports are one-on-one fights with rules. Self-protection, on the other hand, is not consensual fighting and should be approached differently. . Training for success in sport is designed to ensure success in sport. It makes little sense to train to develop one set of skills when they…
Common Ground: Universal Principles and a Shared Language – Different Paths, Similar Movements.
(Approx 2 minute 45 second read) The comments on my articles are inspiring, often funny, and sometimes, just uninformed. . To all the armchair enthusiasts, keyboard warriors, and practitioners from other methods who think kata is useless – let’s get this out of the way: You do not fight with kata. . The kata were…
Inhale Presence, Exhale Tension: Grounded in Breath, Connected in Spirit.
(Approx 2 minute 25 second read) There are all sorts of great tips for improving your karate, but for many, the issue isn’t technical; it’s about presence. It’s not that you need to be perfect, but rather that your mind isn’t fully there. . You might find yourself distracted or tense, caught up in your…
Karate: Art or Illusion? No – Let’s Get Back to Reality.
(Approx 2 minute 35 second read) Has karate become nothing but a demonstration art? . Many people send me messages asking my thoughts on various karate videos, as I often write about realism and practical karate. This week, I watched a video of an instructor from Okinawa, demonstrating applications from kata. . To be honest,…
Practical Self-Defense: Ditch the Drama and Embrace Reality. Sitting Pretty or Prepared?
(Approx 2 minute 10 second read) It’s astonishing to me that I need to clarify this further, something as straightforward as practical self-defense, yet here we are. Once again, the armchair enthusiasts seem unable to grasp the situation with any common sense. . To set the record straight: regarding the article where I was asked…
Beyond the Isolated Movements: How Transitions Bring Kata to Life.
(Approx 2 minute 10 second read) While teaching at a Kyokushin dojo a little while ago, a Nidan there asked me about interpreting a specific move from the kata ‘Kanku’. . The Kyokushin version of the kata was not one I had practiced before, so we talked about how looking at one movement on its…
Under Pressure: The Way You Train is the Way You’ll Respond:
(Approx 2 minute 5 second read) You will perform the way you train. This principle holds across martial arts, sports, and virtually any skill-based activity or profession. Training shapes not only physical habits but also mental responses under pressure. . In response to one of my articles about an ill-advised self-defense technique performed for a…
Happy World Karate day. ‘Karate no Hi’ (空手の日).
In 2005, the Okinawa Prefecture Assembly passed a resolution declaring October 25th ‘Karate no Hi’ (空手の日), or ‘the Day of Karate.’ This date carries profound significance, marking a day when Okinawa’s unique martial heritage, developed over centuries, was formally named ‘Karate’ – ‘empty hand’ – a term now familiar to enthusiasts around the world. ….
The Ground: Think Twice Before You Go There!
(Approx 2 minutes 30 second read) Some people are incredibly territorial when it comes to the martial art they practice. The comments on my recent article about judo and self-defense sparked a storm of snarky responses – some from people who seemed genuinely upset, and others, who didn’t even bother reading the article before offering…
Kneeling for a Throw? Staying Off the Ground in Self-defense.
(Approx 2 minute 25 second read) Recently, I was asked to sit in on a grading where a student was being promoted from 1st to 2nd dan. When asked to perform self-defense the student performed several throws from judo, some from a kneeling position. . For me, this was not an ideal representation of a…
Right. Now, self-defense. Tonight I’ll be showing you how to defend yourselves against anyone who attacks you armed with a piece of fresh fruit.
(Approx 2 minute 50 second read) “In order to know how good you are at something, it requires exactly the same skills as it does to be good at that thing in the first place. Which means that if you’re absolutely no good at something at all, then you lack exactly the skills that you…