Articles

On Teaching

This entry was posted in basics bunkai concepts skills teaching training and tagged concepts methods teaching techniques on by

As much as I love training and researching, I also love teaching, and it’s something that I have been doing, in some capacity, since I was a yellow belt. I’ve gone from helping a white belt learn the most basic aspects of a block, to teaching classes and seminars, and it’s been a wonderful adventure, as well as a learning […]

Power Generation Methods

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Karate is not a single, homogeneous practice, but rather is made up of a wide variety of styles, all of which are eclectic blends of native Okinawan arts, Japanese arts, Chinese arts, Indochinese arts, and more. While the human body only functions in so many ways, there are actually quite a number of approaches to doing most things, including generating […]

Basic Sabaki and Tenshin – An Evasion Primer

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Sport karate has long been known for its fast in-and-out approach to fighting, largely because of the way points are assessed–you want to get in and touch your opponent, and get away before they can touch you. Lately, though, the kumite used in the increasingly popular World Karate Federation (WKF) competitions seems to involve the “in” component, but not so […]

Makiwara Exercises for Skills and Variety

This entry was posted in basics blocking bunkai chi-ishi combinations concepts fighting footwork hikite history hojo undo makiwara misconceptions punching stances strength supplemental and tagged concepts drills exercises footwork hikite hojo undo kuruma makiwara striking tai sabaki tenshin training uke-waza on by

The makiwara, or machiwara in Uchinaguchi (lit. “Okinawa mouth,” the native language of Okinawa), is a popularly referenced, albeit often misunderstood, traditional karate training tool. It has fallen out of favor with many karateka, either because they feel it is antiquated and less-useful than modern equipment, or simply because it is uncomfortable, painful, and sometimes boring to work with. As […]

The Parry-Pass Method – Karate’s Universal Defense

This entry was posted in basics blocking bunkai concepts muchimi techniques traditional martial arts training trapping and tagged basics blocks bunkai limb control muchimidi parry-pass uke-waza ukeru on by

Uke-waza (receiving techniques), as has been discussed before, are much more than just blocks, but they often incorporate defensive methods in their movements. While karate has a wide array of methods for defense, the most universal is probably the “parry-pass” style of blocking. Essentially, this is a method of blocking where one hand parries the attack to the side, and passes […]

How to Bunkai

This entry was posted in bunkai concepts fighting history issun hasureru kaisai no genri kishimotodi kobo ittai kyusho misconceptions naihanchi oyo research secrets skills stances supplemental taigi ichi techniques ti tma traditional martial arts training tuidi uke-waza and tagged bunkai concepts goju-ryu kaisai no genri kata kishimotodi oyo principles shorin-ryu techniques on by

Bunkai (lit. “take apart, analyze”), in the context of karate, is the practice of breaking down kata and working on developing applications for their movements, but sometimes it can be hard for karateka to figure out how to apply kata movements on their own. This is compounded by the fact that many instructors still only teach basic “block-punch-kick” applications for […]

Testing for Nidan

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On Wednesday, July 20th, 2016, I tested for Nidan, along with another Nidan candidate, two Shodan candidates, and several brown belt candidates. The testing panel consisted of: John Dominguez, MD, Shodan Jim Mitchell, Shodan Richard Poage, Renshi, Godan Michael Newland, Renshi, Rokudan Jeff Allred, Renshi, Rokudan Eddie Bethea, Kyoshi, Hachidan The Shodan candidates had to complete a written exam, which […]

Book Review – Bubishi: The Classic Manual of Combat

This entry was posted in book bubishi bunkai concepts fighting health history kyusho liniment medicine research review skills techniques tma traditional martial arts training and tagged book bubishi china concepts martial arts medicine okinawa patrick mccarthy review tactics techniques on by

The Bubishi is considered, by many, to be required reading for any karateka. It is a collection of essays, recipes, and diagrams transferred to Okinawa from China–most likely in small sections over time–and it is believed to be related to, or part of, a Chinese war manual called the Wu Bei Zhi, which was written in the 16th and 17th […]

Kamae Bunkai – Static Postures or Active Techniques

This entry was posted in basics bunkai chibana combinations concepts fighting kamae misconceptions motobu oyo perception research techniques traditional martial arts training and tagged bunkai chibana fiore guard kamae longsword motobu oyo posture stance on by

Most traditional martial artists who practice styles from Japan or Okinawa will be familiar with the word “kamae,” which literally translates to “posture” or “pose,” in the context of martial arts. It is typically used to refer to either specific arrangements of the arms, or of the entire body, as a whole–not to be confused with “tachi,” or “stance,” which […]

Interview with Chris Denwood

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Chris Denwood is a karateka, fitness expert, researcher, and the author of “Respecting the Old, Creating the New,” and “Naihanchi (Tekki): The Seed of Shuri Karate Vol. 1.” The latter is easily the most comprehensive book on Naihanchi Shodan fundamentals that I have ever read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who practices Naihanchi kata that can be traced back […]

Using Examples of Karate Methods from Other Arts

This entry was posted in change combat criticism fighting history intensity lifestyle misconceptions mma motobu muchimi naihanchi perception pressure testing reputations research sparring sport traditional martial arts training and tagged fighting karate mma reputation on by

Martial arts come in a wide array of styles and methodologies, but they are all connected by the human body and laws of nature, so even among wildly different systems, founded centuries and countries apart, there can be found many similar, related, or complimentary methods. While many martial artists prefer to segregate styles and promote the isolationist idea that each […]