ve not only trained in karate when I visit Okinawa, I also practise kobudo at the Shimbukan dojo with my teacher, Hiroshi Akamine sensei. As you might expect by now, I usually forget to bring my camera along when I go training, so for the most part my visits go undocumented...at least in pictorial form. This visit saw a little change to my usual duel training schedule. Due to the special event...
Why can’t I always see things as positively as I do this morning? I wake up to the unbidden thought that we bought our first home aged 21 years of age. Amazing. I step on the scales and weigh-in at 201.2 lbs. A pound less than when we started our cruise three weeks ago. Rather […] ...
s duel memorial gathering, a formal ceremony was conducted at the Royal Orion Hotel (formerly the Seibu Orion) on Kokusaidori. Once again the room was full of "faces", sensei whose books or DVD's, or both, I had at home; as well, the room began to fill with quite a few sensei I had interviewed over the years. Many sensei from different ryu-ha and dojo attended the event to commemorate Eiichi Miyazato...
Filed under: The Hello Magazine of World Karate ...
If you have time to practice the Pinan, practice Kushanku instead (Fujiwara R & Gima M, 1986, p. 86) This is a quote attributed to Yabu Kentsu with respect to how...
m not a performer, it gives me no joy whatsoever to stand before people and "strut-my-stuff", but sometimes that is exactly what is asked for, and so I do my best to do what has to be done...but I don't like it! The day after training finished, promotion tests for dan grades were held at the Budokan in the morning, and then in the afternoon a demonstration was staged for guests and the general...
Helping Brian (New Zealand) to better understand kururunfa kata The international nature of the gathering in Okinawa brought with it the expected differences in method and application of goju-ryu principles. But, with so many people from so many different countries, each with varying degrees of contact with the Jundokan over the years, it was hardly surprising that some visitors had a...
s limits, or stretching them a little. Robert and Mike (Alasaka) working on a kata application The two hour sessions often ran over, not that anyone noticed, everyone was too busy training. But a schedule had to be kept because we weren't training in the Jundokan. Lunch (bento) was once again provided before we launched back into the final two hours of training. I heard a few whispered complaints about...
This is outside of my normal post but near and dear to my heart. Let me explain. When I was young man I often had to escort patrons of the bar I worked outside. Often they did not willingly go. I had to call the cops at time for an assist but back then [...]...
s working on saifa kata After a bento style lunch, the second two hour training session of the day found me helping out with instruction. Together with Jean Frenette sensei from Canada, I assisted Sunagawa sensei as he took the kyu level and shodan students through gekisai dai ichi, dai ni, and saifa kata. I was a little surprised to be asked to help with instruction, I guess because I still...
s tomb does little to describe the man Next Wednesday (the 11th), will be the anniversary of my sensei's death. To the Western way of counting years he died fourteen years ago, but for the Okinawans, fifteen years have past; that's because we count from the last day of each year whereas the Okinawans count from the first. The day before the memorial training began on my recent visit to Okinawa...
s been said many times before (mostly by me), "I is a really good writerer!" I know...I know, it takes some getting used to doesn't it; I've aquiered all the "trimmings" of a successful writer and karate master and yet I openly confess that I'm none of these things...at least not in my mind or the minds of those who "know" me. In Okinawa recently I signed literally dozens of copies of my book on hojo-undo,...
s quite possible for a number of weeks to pass and not meet someone who has been training in the dojo every day: it all depends on the schedule you keep. This visit was different because of the duel memorial celebrations taking place, so on this trip it really didn't matter what time I went to the dojo, it was always full. After a "packed" start people began to gravitate towards training either in...
m a fan of the taste and convenience of each product. I'll eat them on bananas or on toasted whole wheat. But in fact, which is better for me? Or worse? Serving Size - 2 Tablespoons Lets start with total fat. While peanut butter has 17g, Nutella has only 11g. But Nutella has slightly more saturated fats at 3.5 grams versus peanutbutter at 3 grams. Overall, advantage Nutella. Neither...
t count for much in my book because when we were training we were all trying to improve our feeling for karate. I know...some of you may wonder how a person who trains in Goju-ryu can improve his karate by training in Shotokan? The answer is simple really, I listened to what was being asked of me and then faced the challenge of trying to do it. By doing that, regardless of the particular packaging...
I grew up watching Karate and Kung Fu movies and watching Boxing matches on TV. You see the fledgling full-contact Karate was not televised. So I was left with watching something on TV and then trying it with my friends. Never mind I did not really know what I was doing – most of [...]...
m on my way back to Melbourne in the morning to take part in the annual JKA Victoria spring gasshuku. Since its inception in 2011, I have been very happy to accept the invitation of my friend,Walter Stark sensei, to be a guest instructor. Of course, it would be just plain silly to go all that way and just teach, so I also join in on every class over the three days of training. I'm not very good at...
s a bit like coming home. I stay in the same room in the same lodgings in Tomari run by Ohama-san and his wife, and have done so since 2005. My room is six-tatami, plus my own small bathroom and toilet; it has air-conditioning too, and that proved very welcome on this recent trip. Over the years I've introduced a number of students and friends to my home away from home and, in a very small way, contributed...
Wallace Smedley, author of the book Slapping Dragons has posted a great article regarding Five Things to Remember About Self Defense. In this article, Wallace paints a realistic picture about the reality of self-defense, the role of awareness and avoidance, … Continue reading → ...
ve been fortunate enough to visit many dojo in my capacity as a writer; having a magazine editor hungry for a story, or the impetus of conducting research for a book, often provides a keen incentive to seek people out, and in doing so, expose myself to many individuals and opinions I would otherwise be unaware of. When you commit to karate, that is, when karate stops being something you just 'do' two...