Am I Getting Angry at an Empty Boat?
Anger, assumptions, and knowing when to respond. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but I find myself thinking more about
The Ground Beneath Your Feet
What we wear, where we stand, and the realities of practical karate. When looking at the origins of karate on
Whose Balance Are We Thinking About?
Understanding kuzushi as a principle, rather than a particular technique. We spend a great deal of time in karate learning
Beyond What We Were Taught
On the influence of our teachers and the paths we follow. When I first started karate, I practiced what I
Are We Still Afraid to Ask?
Why Karate Needs More Questions, Not Fewer Every so often, particularly on social media, I come across an explanation about
Have We Been Looking at the Stepping Punch the Wrong Way?
A familiar movement, an old training memory, and a different way of looking at things. Something occurred to me recently
What Are We Preserving?
Tradition, memory, and the passing of karate from one generation to the next. I’ve been practicing traditional karate for a
When the Label Becomes the Lesson
A throw, a stance, and what we think we’re seeing. When we first begin learning karate, almost everything we’re taught
Hikite: More Than a Movement
Looking beyond the movement we practice. One of the most familiar movements in karate is the withdrawing hand. We see
The Opponent Is Only Part of the Problem
Why being able to perform a movement isn’t the same as being able to use it. When we think about
