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
Self-Protection
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.”
Move the Body, Not Just the Feet
Why the movement between stances matters as much as the stance itself One of the things that can happen in
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
What Does Pinan Really Mean?
Why these so-called beginners’ kata may deserve a much deeper look The Pinan/Heian kata, Shodan through Godan, are among the
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 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
What We Didn’t Practice
What repetition teaches us, and what can happen when something changes. When I opened my dojo back in the UK
