Hand trapping is an aspect of Okinawan karate that has been lost in many dojo. So many, in fact, that it is not uncommon for karateka to comment on videos of Okinawan trapping techniques with things like “looks like Wing Chun”–they simply can’t believe that it is a native aspect of karate! Of course, if you search “hand trapping” on […]
Over the weekend, I attended a Seiyunchin bunkai seminar via Skype with one of Taira Masaji Sensei’s senior students, Paul Enfield. Although I am a Shorin-Ryu practitioner, I have picked up some other kata throughout my karate journey, and Seiyunchin is one of them. The version I learned was a bit different, though, and I have been working on making […]
Kata practice–partner training on the left, and solo training on the right It is generally accepted that solo kata practice is a vital component to karate training. This is something that I wholeheartedly agree with! Solo kata practice is an important tool for memorization, visualization training, developing muscle memory, and strengthening the foundational movements required to use the applications of […]
Greetings! In 2008, I started a blog called “My Budo-Geek Life,” and that later become the blog called “Budo no Kaizen.” That blog started as a way of talking about what kind of training I was doing at the dojo, as well as occasionally share some of my thoughts about what we were working on. Over time, my blog has […]
Centered Punch by Hironishi Motonobu (L), Off-Centered Punch by Funakoshi Gichin (R) When practicing kihon (basics)–which carries over into kata practice–there tend to be two schools of thought on where to aim punches. One says that you should aim to the center, as if your opponent were standing directly in front of you, so that you can work on your […]
Traditional weapons used in Okinawan kobudo This article is going to be a bit controversial, but I feel that it is an important topic that is too often neglected. As traditional martial artists, we often learn how to handle classical weapons–swords, bo, tonfa, sai, kama, etc. This is seen as a normal part of training, and a way to enhance […]
