You QUIT karate? . It’s a harsh reality that the students you’re teaching right now will not be the same students you’re teaching a year or two from now. Every dojo or school goes through it. They quit. . There are many reasons why people quit. The novelty of training may have worn off, or…
Tag: Philosophy
Progress comes to those who train and train.
The martial arts requires practice (shock)…… And the way anything is developed is through regular, consistent practice. It is that simple….. But how many hours a day should you practice? 2 hours? 4 hours? 8 hours? 12 hours? How much is enough? Is there an optimal number of hours that you should practice? . Have…
Practice calming your mind.
If you pay attention to what is going on in your mind, you will find that there is a near-constant stream of chatter. Our brains seem to be talking, and engaging in commentary, all the time. . This “chatter” represents normal brain function; it is simply something that the brain does, when it is not…
“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” — Epictetus . What happens to us is in life is an objective reality, how we respond is a subjective choice. The Stoics — of which Epictetus was one — would say that we don’t control what happens to us, all…
So, modern martial arts effectiveness is intentionally reduced?
So, modern martial arts effectiveness is intentionally reduced? Is it fair to say that modern martial arts are intentionally made less effective, in order to appeal to a broader range of people? . In 1868 Japan moved from a feudalistic government to a democratic one that resulted in a few changes to the martial arts….
Why is unrealistic “Bunkai” being taught?
Why is unrealistic “Bunkai” being taught? . The answer is simple: Because the vast majority of karate is taught by instructors who don’t know what realistic bunkai is. And that’s because their instructors were never taught it. And their instructors’ instructors were never taught it. . The original creators of each kata had their own…
You ARE going to get cut!
You ARE going to get cut! . If you think that knife attacks look anything like those typically seen in martial arts classes—you can be dead (sic) wrong. . Real attacks, by people who are familiar with a knife’s properties and true potential, are a blur of short, non-committed stabs and cuts that are practically…
You think training once a week is enough?
“At the world level, with the spreading Covid-19 pandemic, we are in a situation in which many have to refrain from going out. I think many will spend more time practicing at home. Taking advantage of the characteristics of karate that are that anyone can practice anytime, anywhere and even alone, let’s do our…
The goal is to live a life that avoids violence, not encourage it.
Whether you’re a Karate practitioner, MMA fighter, combat fighter or any other competition martial artist, you train for are a very specific arena, dealing with very specific parameters. Outside in the real-world, if you use those parameters, oftentimes you will find unskilled people, who just have the ability to want to hurt you, are going…
Be ready to free your mind.
Gichin Funakoshi’s 6th precept stated – “Kokoro wa hanatan koto o yosu” (心は放たん事を要す). Be ready to free your mind. . There are many interpretations of the exact meaning of Funakoshi’s precept, but I believe part of it is that we should always keep our minds open to learning new things. . I often watch students…
Don’t waste your most valuable asset……
“What do you think is the most valuable thing you might have in your life, that you really don’t pay attention to, especially when you’re young, because you just feel you have an abundance of it? It’s never ending…….… Time.” – Sylvester Stallone . The reason why people keep saying, “the trouble is you think…
The problem with closed-minded people, is that their mouths are always open.
Close-minded is when you believe in something or in someone and your mind will stay closed to that belief and will not even try to acknowledge any other idea or concept. . Nobody wants to admit they’re close-minded. Ask anyone, and 90% of the time, they’ll tell you they’re an open-minded, positive individual who’s (apparently)…