When we think of karate training, we typically think of the physical act of training–the sweat, the effort, the pain, etc. People will often mention the mental aspect of training, but they are usually still talking about what happens while you are physically training; things like focus, intent, and envisioning your opponent. There are different types of mental training, however, […]
Itosu Anko, the root of many modern Shorin-Ryu styles Many karate masters of old have commented that the kata should not be changed, and this statement has been handed down to modern-day instructors. Despite that, we can look at pictures from the past and see, quite clearly, that the kata have been changed–even by people who said not to change […]
For those who don’t know, Sarah Mayer was the first non-Japanese woman to earn the rank of Shodan (first degree black belt) in judo, which she did in 1935 after less than a year of training. She is a very interesting and important figure in martial arts history, but most martial artists (judoka included) don’t know anything about her. I […]
