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My Kind of Demo
Published on 2012-04-18 18:43:00
Master Ken talks about the use of a special technique he created for multiple attackers.Now because of how dangerous The Hurticane is I can't really show it to you at 100 percent. But thanks to modern technology I will do a combat scenario for you right now.Behold: > read more
Black Belts and Red Flags
Published on 2012-04-07 20:01:00
Today I was invited to observe a black "sash" test given at a local kung fu school. It was the fighting part of the test; I missed the forms and self defense portions, though if they were anything like what I witnessed this afternoon I didn't miss much. This event was, quite frankly, painful to watch. The testee was a young man in his twenties who tells me he has about five years of training in this style. He was in shape and had a decent arsenal of techniques, but after his tenth match or so he [..] > read more
Reality Check For The Streetfighter
Published on 2012-03-10 17:10:00
Somebody sent me this amusing but rather sensible list of 6 Painful Things Nobody Tells You About Fighting that's worth checking out (two pages).Topics include the perils of punching to the head, high kicking, dealing with drunkenness (yours and the other guy's), and the personality traits of the select few who live to instigate violent altercations and their consequences. > read more
The Female Warrior: Archetypes and Stereotypes
Published on 2012-03-04 12:09:00
Occasionally I'll get a question about the Isshinryu symbol, the mizugami (water goddess). One version is that the founder, Tatsuo Shimabuku, had a lucid dream about the said deity encountering an evil presence and warding it off with a ring of fire, but with peaceful intentions. Shimabuku's water goddess, a Shinto entity, was probably inspired in part by the androgynous Shiva, the Hindu Destroyer. But the Isshinryu Mizugami is decidedly female and presides over water; femininity and water both [..] > read more
Fighting Words, Testosterone, and Honor
Published on 2012-02-05 10:33:00
I attended a one-day Isshinryu seminar yesterday. It was a good outing as I picked up a lot of useful information and techniques. After all these years it's humbling but good to realize there are more lessons to be learned. Several attendees tested for shodan and at the conclusion one of the chief instructors recounted a road rage incident that he was able to defuse earlier this week. His point was that if someone flips you off at a traffic light, shrug it off, don't think you're a badass becaus [..] > read more
How To Be A 'Class A' Karate-ka
Published on 2012-01-11 23:21:00
Peter Urban (l.) vs. Don Nagle in an exhibition match, New York, 1962One of the first books written on karate authored by an American was The Karate Dojo: Traditions and Tales of a Martial Art by Peter Urban. Urban studied Goju-ryu in Japan under Gogen Yamaguchi before establishing a school in Chinatown, New York.First published in 1967, the reader should appreciate that this was an era of massive cultural upheaval in the US, some of it for the worse: crime and drug abuse were on the increase, i [..] > read more
The Way of Holmes
Published on 2011-12-29 23:10:00
Just viewed the new movie Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Highly recommended. Holmes' character, nicely portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. and originally penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is part sleuth, part whack job and all martial arts extraordinaire.Holmes' "curse", as he calls it, is an all encompassing, all consuming sense of acute awareness that gives him surveillance of his surroundings with impeccable scrutiny and detail. His ninja-like methods of stealth includes cross-dressing and "u [..] > read more
Don't Quit Your Day Job
Published on 2011-12-23 10:30:00
Somebody I know wants to open a karate school and devote himself to it full time. He says he's done plenty of research and introspection on the matter and believes he's up to the task. A lot of uncertainty here, I tell my friend, as the state of the economy and the current lack of popularity of traditional martial arts would be potential obstacles. Martial arts clubs come and go frequently, even when times are good.I will say that the ones that do endure seem to be run by people that are doing i [..] > read more
Abuse of Power
Published on 2011-12-12 10:58:00
Recently a karate school owner told me he picked up an entire family of students courtesy of abuse attributed to their former instructor. Apparently the young boy spilled water on the deck and was summarily back fisted in the chest by the burly sensei. Great marketing ploy. One wonders if this genius has a good attorney to counter these episodes. Sadly, stories of this ilk are fairly common. In fact this particular account is relatively tame.The following comes from a news report concerning a ju [..] > read more
Enhance Your Kata
Published on 2011-11-24 11:05:00
If you believe that learning one new kata after another is the only way you'll advance in rank at your school you're right. You would also be right to conclude that knowing the full canon of kata your system offers as opposed to a few or even none will not make you a better practitioner. Thus, your assertion that kata has survived hitherto is likely due to their usage for promotions and as a handy way to kill class time is further proof of your astuteness. Congratulations, you've been cursed wit [..] > read more
The Way of Spock
Published on 2011-11-05 11:40:00
Striking Thought's post on Captain Kirk's fighting prowess immediately conjured up images of his first officer's skill in Vulcan kyushu waza. Kirk was a hack compared to Mr. Spock.Actually, there may be some real science to the Vulcan nerve pinch, applied exclusively to the base of the neck. The neck is home to the apex of the (cervical) spine which enters the medulla and a ganglia of neurons, synapses and baroreceptors which are responsible for blood flow to the brain via the carotid artery.* A [..] > read more
Bizarre Self-Defense
Published on 2011-10-25 10:25:00
An email I received entitled "13 Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You" included a piece about one Val Glinka who teaches a peculiar self-defense tip at an Ohio public school. Apparently this story has been circulating for a couple of years but this is the first time I've seen it. Here's the gist of it:Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School . For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed.Glinka says, "This is better t [..] > read more
Cultivating Wisdom
Published on 2011-10-23 23:15:00
The classic Chinese text, the Bubishi, was passed down through numerous generations of teachers to students of quanfa (kung fu) until it finally arrived in Okinawa in the mid-to-late 1800s where it had a profound impact on the development of karate. A diverse tome, the Bubishi covers an array of subjects on martial arts such as fighting techniques, healing methods, and philosophy. I'm not an advocate of gleaning self-defense methods from a book, and traditional Chinese medicine is commonly view [..] > read more
Tale of Two Students
Published on 2011-10-13 16:00:00
The following accounts are true and happened this past week. Names have been changed for obvious reasons.Marge has been training at our school for about three years. She works two jobs, has a young child and is occasionally harassed by her loutish ex-husband that she finally managed to get an order of protection from. Three nights ago this dumbass shows up at her apartment, drunk and feeling amorous, and grabs Marge by her wrists. Big mistake. I teach two counters for this maneuver. Marge used v [..] > read more
Karate Moves We Could Do Without
Published on 2011-06-26 10:30:00
Have you ever witnessed a technique that was touted as effective that you either felt to be unsuitable or could never work under almost any conditions?Here's my short list:Jump kick. Legend has it that the jump kick was devised by the Hwarang warrior > read more
Deadly Targets
Published on 2011-06-16 10:00:00
In martial arts, especially karate, the concept of "one-strike-one-kill" probably was derived from earlier weapons systems. In Chinese lore dim mak is regarded as the death touch, not necessarily delivered with brute force but bad intentions. Histori > read more
Dealing With Multiple Attackers
Published on 2011-06-12 17:19:00
I visited a dojo recently that touts itself as traditional. Karate schools seem to do that more and more now with the influx of new styles, MMA and "reality" combat. After a few rounds of kata were performed the instructor had us sit down and asked e > read more
Something a Little Different
Published on 2011-04-23 19:09:00
Recently I watched a rather unique movie that, although could be best described as a crime-drama, has distinct martial arts undertones. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) is an artfully done film with an improbable theme: a professional assassi > read more
Push-Ups for Martial Arts
Published on 2011-03-20 11:06:00
Karate classes normally commence with some form of stretching and exercise routine (junbi undo) that almost always includes push-ups. I thought I'd seen and done all the varieties: diamonds (hands close in), wide-outs, on-the-knuckles, and wheelbarr > read more
Surviving a Home Invasion
Published on 2011-03-06 18:20:00
Has anyone taken measures to ward off the possibility of a home invasion? Certainly, the very thought of one should be horrifying. But what to do? Keep a bat or some other handy weapon in the closet or drawer? Is owning a gun and keeping it at home a > read more
MMA: Sport or Spectacle?
Published on 2011-02-12 22:09:00
A co-worker asked me recently if I thought mixed martial arts was a "sport." Sport as a word has a wide range. Badminton is a sport. So are billiards. I think what my friend was getting at, like many people, is twofold. First, it's the idea that MMA > read more
Karate Point Fighting
Published on 2011-01-24 15:25:00
In traditional karate bouts a point system is used to determine the winner. There are numerous ways for scoring point-matches in karate. A point (ippon) is called when the referee sees what s/he feels is a scored technique, i.e., one that makes solid > read more
Titles, Bowing and other Lunacy
Published on 2011-01-06 20:01:00
This post was inspired by Charles James' article, Titles and Respect. The following is based on my experiences in this matter of tradition and etiquette.I called my first karate instructor by his first name, as did everyone else. Later, when I began > read more
Hocus Pocus
Published on 2011-01-01 11:02:00
Here is a gentleman that I first encountered in an aikido forum, one Seigo Okamoto of Daito-ryu aikijujutsu. This is unlike anything I've ever seen in Daito-ryu.Let's just say I'm a tad skeptical. As for our aiki master, he obviously knows he's pitch > read more
Vertical vs. Horizontal Punches
Published on 2010-11-21 14:04:00
In Isshinryu karate the vertical punch is considered a staple but it's hardly unique to the system. Supposedly at one time the standing fist was the predominant method of delivering a punch among Okinawan karateka; only later was the pronated variety > read more
Making Time
Published on 2010-11-17 09:36:00
Eighty percent of success is showing up. - Woody AllenA teacher once said to me that all competitors are winners no matter what happens. Just by showing up they've already proven themselves. Once while attending a dinner party for the fifteenth anniv > read more
Boxers Who Could've Been Martial Artists
Published on 2010-11-09 08:52:00
Dojo Rat's recent musings over Western boxing's influence on Asian martial arts got me thinking about some of history's greatest pugilists. DR claims that boxing doesn't really qualify as an art form, due to its lacking of a philosophical base. I ten > read more
Stylin'
Published on 2010-10-25 10:36:00
My first exposure to martial arts training was in an American hybrid style called Tai Zen which was billed as a cross between karate and jiu-jitsu. I was thirteen and was way into Bruce Lee flicks and the Kung Fu TV series. I had no concept of what s > read more
What's 'Your' Kata?
Published on 2010-10-05 09:52:00
When I used to go out to compete, I was also a spectator. Most competitors leave right after their matches, but I would stick around to get some ideas. The black belt kata competition would fascinate me, especially the advanced black belts (3rd and 4 > read more
My Top Ten Reading List
Published on 2010-09-20 10:00:00
Reading is fundamental. I like the web, I'm a bit of an internet junkie, but when push comes to shove, I really prefer books as my main reading source for my martial arts material. Here's a list of what I consider essential information for the seriou > read more
Cold Case of Brutality
Published on 2010-09-12 19:34:00
In my last post I discussed how easily lawsuits could be levied against reputable school owners, given certain conditions. Occasionally, however, legal action is warranted. Not everyone can or should run a martial arts club, but apparently that doesn > read more
Dealing With Lawsuits
Published on 2010-08-23 09:40:00
Every now and then I'll go down to train at a local school. This place does some cross training in other styles in addition to karate which I think gives this club a fresh perspective from a traditional dojo. I know one of the owners, he never charge > read more