Karate has three staple components–kihon, kata and kumite (basics, forms and sparring, respectively)–that make up the curriculum for most schools. The basics are the individual techniques in the style, consisting of stances, punches, blocks, open handed strikes, kicks, etc. The forms are patterns of basics strung together to, on a basic level, build muscle memory, condition your body and practice […]
Steve at Fighter Fix contacted me back in April and asked me to review his product, having seen my review on Chris’s Datsusara Hemp Gi. This review, due to the nature of the product, will not be quite so in-depth simply because I am reviewing the effect of the product rather than the product itself. In my training (judo and […]
Most practitioners of Okinawan Karate know that it is generally a mix of Shuri-Te/Naha-Te/Tomari-Te (collectively Ryukyu-Te or Okinawa-Te) and White Crane Kung Fu from Southern China. If you look at most modern Kung Fu or Kung Fu from Northern China you would not believe this could be the case, but if you ever get the chance to see a good […]
Last night I went to Aikido of Scottsdale where I worked out with a local Kyokushin karate club that shares that dojo. The Sensei is, I believe, a Nidan (2nd degree blackbelt) but I’m afraid I can’t remember his name, so I am sorry about that–I am very bad with names! When we first met at the dojo I was […]
To all martial artists, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, something else or nothing at all: have a great holiday season and a happy new year! I’d like to take a moment to let you that I’m starting to take CBD oil to help me after the training with the pain, and sometimes with the anxiety that comes from organizing […]
Uchi-Mata (Inner Thigh Throw) Before class last night Brandon and I worked more on the throw I taught him after our knife defense class–the side-step uchi-mata (inner thigh throw). Since Brandon has only ever worked striking arts (he is a brown belt in another style, but I can’t remember what that style was) and considering how easy it was to […]
Brandon tried to grab onto me when I grabbed him during a multiple attacker drill So I threw him with harai goshi (sweeping hip throw). Sorry for the hard landing, dude. He didn’t really want to be in the middle of the attacker circle anyway 😛 He did pretty well, though Don’t worry, he did throw me back eventually Crowd […]
For those who haven’t heard of the Okinawan Karate Institute Blog (OKI Blog) it is a site that is managed by Sensei Theodore Kruczek, a Sandan (3rd Degree Black Belt) in Shorin-Ryu who started it originally as a place to post historical information about Shorin-Ryu karate and some of his research papers. The blog contains a lot of valuable information […]
Matt over at Ikigai Way has posted a contest that is sponsored by Karate Depot, and I wanted to share it. If you know a Sensei who goes out of their way to help and make an impact in the community, please check out Matt’s “Selfless Sensei” Giveaway post on his blog and enter them in the contest!
Martial arts come with a sense of fulfillment and confidence, but the reason for that depends on the individual student. The exercise, the skills, the meditative aspects, all of them can provide this feeling and some people enjoy all of it. I happen to be one of the people who enjoy it all, but the one thing that probably gives […]
Hello everyone, This is my second go at a martial arts blog–my first foray into blogging was while I was between karate dojo and training in judo, and I just fell out of the habit of posting. This, I am hoping, will be more insightful and more regular now that I am back in a karate dojo. I started training […]
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