» Too Many Kata
08/27/10 23:23 from KARATE THOUGHTS
BODY {font-family=\"Arial\"} TT {font-family=\"Courier New\"} BLOCKQUOTE.CITE {padding-left:0.5em; margin-left:0; margin-right:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; border-left:\"solid 2\";} SPAN.TABOOHEADER {display=none} My friend and senior, Sensei Pat Nakata , just shared an email with his students and our Kenkyukai group that included the following: \"Chibana Sen..
» Most Advanced Kata
08/27/10 21:26 from KARATE THOUGHTS
At a recent Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai training session, we were asked to demonstrate and explain the most advanced kata in our respective Karate systems/styles. This was an interesting assignment because each of us had to determine what the most advanced kata in our own system/style is. One way to approach this question is to ask what kata a student will learn..
» Koshi Percentage
08/20/10 21:41 from KARATE THOUGHTS
OK, this is a serious post. If you would like to have a few very talented Karate students with exceptional body dynamics, teaching koshi is the way to go. If you do not mind spending many years (even decades) teaching and working on the fine points of body dynamics, power generation, power transfer, weight shifting, body alignment, body shifting, timing, foc..
» Guest Post: Thinking About What We Practice
08/20/10 21:19 from KARATE THOUGHTS
This Guest Post is by one of the adult students in our dojo ( Hikari Dojo ), Peerawut Kamlang-ek. He has trained with us for about a year and a half. - - - - - - - - - - Thinking About What We Practice “Repetition is the mother of skill!” I’m sure that many Karate students and people in any practice probably have heard this phrase before. I believe it serves..
» Guest Post: Domo Arigato Gozaimasu, Sensei
08/19/10 09:31 from KARATE THOUGHTS
This Guest Post is by one of the adult students in our dojo ( Hikari Dojo ), Peerawut Kamlang-ek. He has trained with us for about a year and a half. - - - - - - - - - - Domo Arigato Gozaimasu, Sensei I believe that many Karate students like their Sensei not only because their Sensei is skilled, but because their Sensei is also courteous and respectful to th..
» My Tough Son Does Not Brag
08/19/10 08:47 from KARATE THOUGHTS
I have three sons and a daughter who were raised on Arnold movies. Instead of Disney, as little kids they watched Predator, Terminator, Raw Deal, Commando, Aliens, you get the idea. I\'m afraid that this upbringing made my sons pretty cocky. If they were watching Predator or Alien(s), they would say, \"I could beat that monster.\" If my sons watched a show abou..
» What Have You Done Lately?
08/18/10 00:57 from KARATE THOUGHTS
Sometimes Karate instructors will tell me about their accomplishments 40 or 50 years ago. That is great, but I wonder, \"What have you done lately?\" As soon as I do something, I forget about it. It is over. It is time to do the next thing. What I have done is done. What I am doing is what counts. I do not want someone to ask me, \"Didn\'t you use to be that Kar..
» My Student is Better Than Me!
08/18/10 00:50 from KARATE THOUGHTS
This is a story. Two Sensei were were eating dinner together discussing their lifetime of teaching Karate. At one point, the first Sensei started to sob, \"Several of my students are better than me! I feel like I a failure.\" The second Sensei began to sob as well, saying, \"None of my students are better than me! I feel like a failure!\" Which was correct? I fe..
» Replacement
08/18/10 00:26 from KARATE THOUGHTS
Over the years (decades), I have seen many people come and go in Karate and other martial arts. In organizations, it is not unusual for people to leave or quit. If they hold office, I have noticed that there is usually a pretty smooth transition -- someone else takes or is elected to their position. One way to think of this is to picture an annual seminar in..
» No Mention of Rank
08/18/10 00:11 from KARATE THOUGHTS
For several years, one of my senior friend\'s students has visited from the mainland. My friend usually invites me to lunch when his student visits and I have looked forward to seeing him each year to observe his progress in training and to just talk about Karate. This year I realized that I did not know the student\'s rank, which is not an important thing, bu..
» Categorizing Karate Students -- Training
08/11/10 23:20 from KARATE THOUGHTS
Over the years, I have distinguished Karate instructors/students by various factors, including: Those who focus on tournaments... and those who do not. Those who focus on the commercial aspect of Karate... and those who do not. Those who are born in Japan or Okinawa and feel this is somehow special and makes their Karate somehow better... and those who do no..
» Avoidance & Escape
08/08/10 07:51 from KARATE THOUGHTS
In Avoidance is 100% Effective , I wrote about how avoiding a physical conflict is the only way to be 100% safe. Any Karate technique can fail, and even if it works, you could be injured. Even the best fighter can get caught with a punch. I was watching MMA with my sons this afternoon. In the main event, this point was illustrated. The champion won, but only..
» Avoidance is 100% Effective
08/07/10 00:40 from KARATE THOUGHTS
No Karate technique is 100% effective. There is always a margin for error. A punch or kick might miss or not have the intended effect. A person high on drugs might not even feel a good kick to the groin. And even if a technique is executed properly, it remains possible to be hit, kicked, bit, scratched, or stabbed in the process. In short, even the best tech..
» Treating Guests
08/04/10 00:50 from KARATE THOUGHTS
Occasionally, we have guest students from within our style (Kishaba Juku Shorin-Ryu). When we do, I try my very best to work with them, and also have my sons and senior students work with them. Sometimes it may seem that we go a little overboard and pay too much attention to guests. I wanted to explain why this is so. When I went to Okinawa in 2002, Shinzato..
» Teaching Karate to Miss Hawaii USA Contestants
08/03/10 21:57 from KARATE THOUGHTS
Aloha On Saturday (July 31st), my sons (Charles and Cael) and I gave a Karate session to the Miss Hawaii USA and Miss Hawaii Teen USA contestants. For that pageant, there is going to be a 12 part series of 1/2 hour shows showing the different things that the contestants did. One segment will be about Okinawan Karate. That should be shown on Fox 2 (in Hawaii)..
» Not Ready -- No Excuse
07/15/10 08:48 from KARATE THOUGHTS
My daughter also practices Karate, so periodically I attack her -- like any good Karate father would do. I have done this since she was a little girl (she is now 17). The other day I threw a punch toward her head and she missed the block (I did not hit her). She said, \"No fair, I wasn\'t ready.\" Thus, this lesson. In Karate, you can never say, \"I was not read..
» Demonstration Error -- No Big Deal
07/08/10 23:48 from KARATE THOUGHTS
On Saturday, our dojo took part in the One Year Memorial Demonstration for Robert \"Snaggy\" Inouye held at the Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha. Our dojo performed Wankan, Rohai, and Sakugawa Nu Kun. See the program . During the Wankan kata, one of our students made a wrong turn near the end of the kata. She corrected immediately. During demonstrations, some instructor..
» Gay Karate Students
07/08/10 21:33 from KARATE THOUGHTS
I would like to set forth my policy about gay students who might like to join our dojo. Remember that Karate is an art that is several hundreds of years old and represents very traditional values. My policy is to welcome all students who would like to sincerely study the art. Gay students are welcome. Sexual orientation is not something I would consider at a..
» Bowling -- Back to Normal
07/01/10 08:15 from KARATE THOUGHTS
After bowling my lifetime high game on Father\'s Day with my children, I went back on Sunday. When I got home, my wife asked me whether I broke 200. I said, \"Yes, when you added up my three games!\" It seemed that every time I hit the head pin, I got a split. Pins would wobble but not fall. I am back to normal. I will have to wait for another magic Father\'s Da..
» You Can Count On...
07/01/10 08:06 from KARATE THOUGHTS
I my experience... You can count on some people to be there, not complain, and get the job done. Thank goodness for these people! But there are also people... Who say they\'ll be there but don\'t show up. Who come, but somehow are always sick or injured (somehow). Who say they\'ll be there, promise to do something, but then something comes up that day! Who show..