kishimotodi


Tachimura no Naihanchi Webinar in Review

On Saturday, June 1st, 2024, I taught a webinar for the International Neoclassical Karate Kobudo Society (INKKS) on the first kata of the KishimotoDi system, Tachimura no Naihanchi. This style is at risk of dying out, with only a couple hundred practitioners, worldwide, and less than two dozen who know all four kata of the system, so it really fills […]


The Scissor/Wedge Throws of Tachimura no Naihanchi

The art of KishimotoDi (AKA, Kishimoto-Ha Karate/Shuri-Te) is an interesting look into the Shuri-classified (or Tomari-classified, if you prefer to look at it that way) karate of the past, before its popularization by Itosu “Anko” Yasutsune and his disciples. As this style is is rare, only a small number of practitioners around the world study it, so it has been […]


Head Height Changes in Kata Practice

Karate has, like all things, changed over the course of time, for a variety of reasons, from sociopolitical considerations, to sports science and movement theories, to simple aesthetics. Breaking down the myriad changes that have taken place within it would be an impossible task, but one can isolate some specific examples for study, which make for an interesting look at […]


How to Bunkai

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 […]


Ed Sumner’s Review of the Ryukyu Martial Arts Friendship Gasshuku

The following review was submitted to me by Ed Sumner (Kyoshi, Nanadan, Goju-Ryu under the late Chinen Teruo Sensei). I have added photos, and done some minor grammatical editing. I had the opportunity to attend the Ryukyu Martial Arts Friendship Gasshuku this last weekend, hosted by Noah Legel at the Peaceful Warrior Dojo in Scottsdale, AZ.  Noah had attended our […]