randori

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 […]

Is Karate a Grappling Art?

This entry was posted in clinch criticism fighting kakidi kakie misconceptions mma motobu muchimi muto perception pressure testing push hands randori shima skills sparring sport styles system taiji tegumi throws tma traditional martial arts training tuishou and tagged fighting grappling karate mma pressure testing sparring striking training on by

Lately, my friends over at Karate Culture have been posting videos, like the one above, that connect kata to techniques found in mixed martial arts, and various grappling arts–something I have also done, although on a smaller scale. This has brought with it some argument as to the nature of karate. As with most such arguments, this one is not […]

Reflections on the First Ryukyu Martial Arts Friendship Gasshuku

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This past weekend was our Ryukyu Martial Arts Friendship Gasshuku, which was an event I put together with the intent of getting martial artists together to learn and train in a variety of martial arts from the Ryukyu islands. The idea actually came from the Ryukyu Martial Arts Facebook Groups that were set up by Ryan Parker Sensei. There are […]

Clearing the Way

This entry was posted in blocking bunkai clinch compliance concepts fighting kakidi kakie kids kote kitae muchimi osae perception pressure testing push hands randori tactile sensitivity throws ti trapping tuidi tuishou uke-waza and tagged blocking go ju tactile sensitivity tuishou on by

  As karateka, we often look at being on the receiving end of attacks, but sometimes we can overlook dealing with the defense of our attackers. From a philosophical view, it is easy to understand why this could happen. Most serious karateka are familiar with the concept of “karate ni sente nashi,” or “there is no initiating hand in karate.” […]

Pressure Testing Tuidi

This entry was posted in bunkai compliance oyo push hands randori skills sparring submission tegumi throws ti trapping tuidi tuishou and tagged atemi grappling joint locks kansetsu-waza kyusho takedown tuidi on by

The grappling techniques of karate are classified as tuidi-waza (seizing hand techniques). This primarily refers to joint locks and grabbing/tearing techniques, but could technically include some types of chokes, throws and takedowns. We practice these in kata, in application drills, and in flow drills, but most people don’t work them in a randori (free grappling) scenario. Admittedly, free grappling with […]

Naihanchi Bunkai and Randori 1

This entry was posted in clinch naihanchi oyo randori and tagged application bunkai goshin grappling kata self defense striking on by

Morote-Uke (Double Receiver) from Naihanchi kata On Wednesday nights, I usually teach the Self Defense Class at my dojo, which is usually attended by Youth Students, but adults are welcome. In this particular class, as I often do, I focused on Naihanchi applications. We started off with a basic forearm blocking drill against wide swinging punches, and then moved on […]