Practice Until You Can Rely on It
Why getting it right once is only the beginning One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that
Martial Arts
The Problem Inspires the Technique
Why familiar mechanics can mean different things in different contexts The commonality of technique across the martial arts is that
Zanshin: The Situation May Not Be Over
Why awareness should remain after the technique has finished Zanshin (残心) is often translated as “remaining mind” or “lingering mind.”
The Instructor a Student Remembers
Why encouragement, example and trust can matter long after the lesson is over As instructors and teachers, one of the
Does Karate Inherently Improve Your Character?
Why years of training, rank and tradition do not automatically make someone a better person Character traits can certainly be
Why Is Karate Taught This Way?
How the development of Karate-Do changed the way kata is taught Because this is how Traditional Karate-Do developed. If someone
You Don’t Have to Be More Than You Are
On honesty, experience, and the responsibility that comes with teaching Over the years, I have written quite strongly about fake
Training for the Wrong Problem
If karate is supposed to have relevance to self-protection, then the way we practice has to reflect the problems we
When the Mind Will Not Let Go
We spend years training for physical problems we may rarely face, yet the mind is something we have to deal
When the Best Choice is Not to Fight
Sometimes self-protection is not about what you can do physically, but whether you can prevent the situation from becoming physical
