Articles: Karate
From Whence We Came: Some Okinawa Cultural Icons
At a little over 26 degrees north of the equator, Okinawa enjoys a subtropical climate, and for much of the year its inhabitants live under clear blue skies. However, during the early summer months, typhoons sweep in off the Pacific Ocean bringing with them strong winds and huge seas often resulting in damage to property, and sometimes loss of life. More >>
Karate-A Unique Balanced Approach to Healthy Living
Those who enter a dojo for the purpose of maintaining good health engage in a training routine that may look similar to those engaged in budo karate, but this similarity exists only on the surface. More >>
Understand Strength versus Skill
Understanding your place in life is always a good thing. However, in the world of martial arts some times it can be hard to know. In the real world, the employer and employee are clearly defined; parent, child is another example. However, the martial arts are based on skills. A young person with more time on the floor can outrank and older person, in some cases even their own parent. More >>
Who is Going to Teach Me: Your Teacher's Qualifications
"My sensei is a 5th dan," said one young man. "Oh yeh, my sensei is 6th," said the other. "My sensei has black belts in four different martial arts." "Well, my sensei is a master of weapons!" More >>
A Map: Knowing Where You Stand in The Dojo
The size of an Okinawan karate dojo is likely to be smaller than its counterpart in America or Europe. It is also more likely to be attached to or form a part of the sensei’s home. Space on the island is at a premium and few families can afford the luxury of leaving large sections of their home vacant and unused for most of the day. More >>
Karate Choices for Lifetime Achievements
In karate, when your sporting days are over, you might, like many others, make the false assumption that you can simply move across to budo karate: if you do, you’re making a big mistake! More >>
Be Wary of Concussions
There were only two combatants involved, but it took eight of us to break up the fight without hurting anyone, four officers, three security guards, and myself. Once we got the participants separated we began sorting out what happened. More >>
Sport, Health, and Martial Art: Kyogi, Kenko, and Budo
For many people training in karate these days, there seems to be only one way to train … their way! Like other martial arts, karate has not escaped the glare of commercialism, and with that, the packaging and branding of each school, style, or association. More >>
Four Chokes and Cranks for Street Use
The type of chokes and cranks discussed here are designed for the street. Several of them have been banned from judo competition because they are too dangerous for sport. More >>
Use Neck Cranks or Chokes to Fight an Adversary
In single combat, we can confuse the enemy by attacking with varied techniques when the chance arises. Feint a thrust or cut, or make the enemy think you are going to close with him, and when he is confused you can easily win. This is the essence of fighting, and you must research it deeply.-Miyamoto Musashi More >>
Ten Precepts of Karate
Truths abound. They are all around us like radio waves carrying music through the air; the trick is to discover how to tune into them. For over three and a half decades, I have been guilty of stumbling over more than a few truths. More >>
Shin Gi Tai – Karate Training for Body, Mind, and Spirit
The dojo is a special place, where guts are fostered and superior human natures are bred through the ecstasy of sweating in hard work. The dojo is a sacred place, where the human spirit is polished. -Shoshin Nagamine sensei, Founder of the Matsubayashi ryu karatedo More >>
Shu-ha-ri - The Phases of Mastery in a Dojo and with a Pen
It’s not unusual for martial artists to talk solemnly about “the Way” and how the life lessons that have been created through training spill over into the rest of our lives. More >>
Channeling Sekishusai
One of the most important aspects of martial arts training (and the thing that first attracted me to the activity) is the linkage between things of the body and things of the spirit. There’s a lot to be said for the physical aspects of training—and if most people are anything like me, it’s almost addictive. More >>
Sanchin, Shime, and Hard Impact
At the conclusion of the examination, we gathered around the new Godan, and the finger imprints from the teachers slapping his shoulders resonated red and were buried deep in his sweat-covered skin. Just being newly minted black belts, we worked our way around his torso, calling out, “look at this one,” as we discovered with reverence more marks left on his body from the test. More >>
Positive Attitude Required for Black Belt
Learning martial arts can be very challenging. It is a lifelong process that encompasses not only internalizing an abundance of fighting techniques, but also learning proper body alignment, breathing, and movement. It is both a physical and mental process. More >>
The Meaning of 'Tradition’ in Traditional Karate
Much is written these days about traditional karate, but when it comes right down to it, what exactly is the “tradition”? It takes more than the wearing of a plain, white, karate gi (uniform) to make you a “traditional” karateka. A few bow’s here and there and the use of a few Japanese words during training, won’t do it either. More >>
Comments on Hojo Undo from Okinawan Karate Masters
Since I began traveling to Okinawa in 1984, I have been privileged to meet many great karate teachers over the years. Some have had a worldwide following, while others have not, but the majority of them have had something in common—their sincere love for the fighting arts of their homeland and their willingness to share what they know. More >>
Practice Any Time, Anywhere
Consistent daily training makes all the difference in achieving your rank. Because there is so much to learn and everything builds from kihon, it is important to make a commitment to try to learn something new about your martial art, no matter how small, every day. More >>
About Junbi Undo—Part 2
"Lift things properly, hit things with care", this maxim should be at the forefront of your mind when embarking upon the study of traditional Okinawan hojo undo. Find your limit with each tool and exercise, and then carefully and methodically push that limit further and further. In doing so you will learn much about yourself and who you really are. More >>
About Junbi Undo—Part 1
In an Okinawan karate dojo, warming-up exercises are known as junbi undo, preparation exercises. Within many Western schools of karate today, the warm-up exercises often have little in common with the mental activity that follows, neither do they always relate particularly well to the physical demands placed upon the specific muscle. More >>
Sanchin Kata - Ancient Wisdom
The true history of sanchin kata is lost to time. Many will claim they know the true and correct history of sanchin kata, but factors such as where one chooses to begin and end can create one of many versions of the same history. The goal is to achieve a better understanding of sanchin kata through the mechanics, history, and applications of the kata. More >>
Sanchin Kata, the Three Battles Sequence
The basic kata sanchin has existed a long time, and has developed into variations called saifa, seiyunchin, shisochin, sanseiryu, seipai, kururunfa, and suparunpen, which are still practiced. More >>
¿Golpeas al objetivo?
Nunca dudé, al ponerme frente a Kanazawa sensei, que iba a "enchufarme". Pero tenía la absoluta certeza de que no iba a hacerme daño. More >>
Are you hitting the target in Karate?
There was never a doubt in my head when I lined up to face Kanazawa sensei, I knew he was going to 'plug' me. More >>
Remembering Chojun Miyagi
Among the huge number of so-called karate styles in the world these days, all can be traced back to the island of Okinawa, the largest island in the Ryukyu archipelago that stretches from the southern coast of Japan to the northern tip of Taiwan. More >>
Hojo Undo: Traditional Karate’s Forgotten Training Methods
In an age where karate training is often viewed as a family pastime for some or a career path for others, many of the older and more traditional forms of training have slipped from use, replaced in many cases by a quest for physical entertainment More >>
Big Rocks: The Hidden Values of Traditional Karate
A philosopher and teacher of the ‘Way’ began addressing his students. He produced, from behind a screen, a large glass container and a box of fist-sized rocks. After a few moments of carefully placing the rocks into the glass container, he came to a point where no more would fit. He then turned to his students and asked: “Is it full?” More >>
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Episode 1.
Chinese Martial Arts Definitions
Episode 2.
Retreat Center Interview PART 1
Episode 3.
Retreat Center Interview PART 2
Episode 4.
Northern and Southern Chinese Styles
