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Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The Warrior's Prayer
The Warrior's Prayer (Stuart Wilde)
I am what I am.
In having faith in the beauty within me, I develop trust.
In softness I have strength.
In silence I walk with the gods.
In peace I understand myself and the world.
In conflict I walk away.
In detachment I am free.
In respecting all living things, I respect myself.
In dedication I honour the courage within me.
In eternity I have compassion for the nature of all things.
In love I unconditionally accept the evolution of others.
In freedom I have power.
In my individuality, I express the God-Force within me.
In service I give of what I have become.
I am what I am:
Eternal, immortal, universal, and infinite.
And so be it.
Stuart Wilde
I am what I am.
In having faith in the beauty within me, I develop trust.
In softness I have strength.
In silence I walk with the gods.
In peace I understand myself and the world.
In conflict I walk away.
In detachment I am free.
In respecting all living things, I respect myself.
In dedication I honour the courage within me.
In eternity I have compassion for the nature of all things.
In love I unconditionally accept the evolution of others.
In freedom I have power.
In my individuality, I express the God-Force within me.
In service I give of what I have become.
I am what I am:
Eternal, immortal, universal, and infinite.
And so be it.
Stuart Wilde
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Some more photos of the walk out
Continued from last posting. Some nice pics of the karate club walking group and our part of the world :)
Keswick to Barrow walk training
Some members of the karate club are taking part in this year's Keswick to Barrow-in-Furness 40 mile charity walk. Here's a couple of photos from today's walk. There's more on my facebook page :) Some more photos in the next post
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Shukokai!
It's been a long time coming, but here's some Shukokai karate. Shukokai means "the Way for All" and it's a fascinating system that makes use of the"double hip" to generate power. It's also known for its relatively high stances compared to other schools. Here's some Shukokai clips...
Monday, March 09, 2009
Monday's Training
Yay! A good night's training was had by all tonight. The junior class were full of spirit as usual (after a little "encouragement"!!) and the seniors were on the ball too. We covered some close-in drills, a couple of takedowns, and some kata.
We're looking forward to a session on Sanchin and Tensho on Thursday.
We're looking forward to a session on Sanchin and Tensho on Thursday.
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Ohyo Kumite
My last post included video clips of Ohyo Kumite, which were very nice. We did a bit tonight with them.
I haven't done Ohyo in a while, and we ditched them from the syllabus. After tonight's session I think I made the right decision...
They weren't difficult to do, nor were they difficult to show the students who hadn't done them before. They said that they looked really impressive to watch - and that's only the first of our worries.
In Ohyo kumite you have to learn both attack and defence to get through them, and this is where we hit a major problem. The students, instead of doing the necessary defending movement in the exercise, did the techniques wrong, i.e. they moved correctly!
They reacted exactly how they have been trained, through classes and experience. The kumite fell apart because then the attacker had to change tack to make the techniques work.
In other words, the Ohyo kumite was teaching wrong habits. For instance, in Ohyo number 1 the defender has to lean away, dropping into back stance ready to be swept. And in number 8 as the attacker does the fancy footwork the defender steps back in a straight line and doesn't do much else.
These are all contrary to how we normally train.
Ohyo Kumite was used back in the 50s as a basic training method for competition sparring. Which begs the question, why should we waste time trying to fit the exercise into how we train today?
There are some positives in Ohyo Kumite. They give you a sense of martial-ness in attacking strongly. The feeling of intention is certainly there especially in the first two sets. However, there are better ways of training that elsewhere.
My kids' class couldn't handle Ohyo kumite - they are too used to spontaneous, flowing movement (some of those youngsters have brilliant natural fighting movement, it would be a crime to take that away from them!)
The senior class proved tonight that this way of training was incompatible with what we do, so I guess that's that for Ohyo. Some of the combinations are good basics, although we tried them as pad drills and failed miserably (again, there's better ways of training).
I guess it's a case of square peg and round hole.
I haven't done Ohyo in a while, and we ditched them from the syllabus. After tonight's session I think I made the right decision...
They weren't difficult to do, nor were they difficult to show the students who hadn't done them before. They said that they looked really impressive to watch - and that's only the first of our worries.
In Ohyo kumite you have to learn both attack and defence to get through them, and this is where we hit a major problem. The students, instead of doing the necessary defending movement in the exercise, did the techniques wrong, i.e. they moved correctly!
They reacted exactly how they have been trained, through classes and experience. The kumite fell apart because then the attacker had to change tack to make the techniques work.
In other words, the Ohyo kumite was teaching wrong habits. For instance, in Ohyo number 1 the defender has to lean away, dropping into back stance ready to be swept. And in number 8 as the attacker does the fancy footwork the defender steps back in a straight line and doesn't do much else.
These are all contrary to how we normally train.
Ohyo Kumite was used back in the 50s as a basic training method for competition sparring. Which begs the question, why should we waste time trying to fit the exercise into how we train today?
There are some positives in Ohyo Kumite. They give you a sense of martial-ness in attacking strongly. The feeling of intention is certainly there especially in the first two sets. However, there are better ways of training that elsewhere.
My kids' class couldn't handle Ohyo kumite - they are too used to spontaneous, flowing movement (some of those youngsters have brilliant natural fighting movement, it would be a crime to take that away from them!)
The senior class proved tonight that this way of training was incompatible with what we do, so I guess that's that for Ohyo. Some of the combinations are good basics, although we tried them as pad drills and failed miserably (again, there's better ways of training).
I guess it's a case of square peg and round hole.
Ohyo Kumite - Wado Ryu
Ohyo Kumite was developed my Sensei Suzuki and is now incorporated into many wado syllabuses worldwide. There's a set of 8 Ohyos. Here's 4 of them...
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
"Excuse me mate..."
Here's a story that is relevant to everyone who was training at our club on Monday night. Although the victim didn't suffer serious injury, it is typical of common street attacks.
Here's the link
Here's the link
Monday, March 02, 2009
Legacy
"Kushanku!"
The kata begins by drawing the arms round in a circle. The movement is sometimes called viewing the sky. It has practical purposes, but also draws upon symbolism, a key component of all rituals.
Viewing the sky.... light from the sun takes 8 minutes to arrive here. We see the sun as it was 8 minutes ago. The star known as Epsilon Eridani is roughly 10 light years away. We see it now as it was a decade ago. Another star, Shedar (alpha Cassiopeia) goes back 150 light years - to a time when many of our karate katas were created or modified.
In viewing the sky we travel back in time.
The opening sequence of Kushanku can be a reminder for us. It takes us back to an era when the fighting arts were being developed, modified and used on a daily basis. Back then you could consider yourself as having a good day if you were still alive at tea time! Martial arts were practiced as a means of maintaining good health (which keeps you working, which keeps you in food and shelter)... and they were also a means of self-preservation.
The arts have of course changed somewhat over the last 150 years. Competition, aesthetics, and entertaining shows are now part of the whole package. (Not forgetting the disaster of Japanese politics in first half of the last century, and its mark on karate....) Karate is now a world-wide activity which attracts millions of enthusiasts.
The original purpose of the arts isn't forgotten though. Somewhere deep inside the 50-or-60-odd movements of, say Kushanku, we can find a glimpse of the old ways. It's important not to be stuck in a rut, but in doing kata we rememeber the people who learned, trained, fought and died over the years. What do their spirits make of us today, I wonder?
Learning karate can be a fun, positive experience. Trained correctly it brings good health, confidence, flexibility (as the adverts keep telling us), and perhaps a skill that might save our lives one day.
To achieve this we have to train with the right mindset. It comes from respecting our training partners, ourselves, and the legacy of times past. Sometimes you have to take things a little more seriously, or intense. You have to go beyond the comfort zone and take yourself to places "normal" people wouldn't visit (but there again normal people watch crap TV and are addicted to mobile phones).
Next time you're in the dojo take a few moments in sitting quietly. Think about the origins of your art, its people and their stories. What's your story? How will you bring the kata to life? How would you feel knowing Ko So Kun, or Itosu, or any of the old teachers we're looking down on your next training session?
In Kushanku the first movement is viewing the sky. Once the circle is complete the kata bursts into life, bringing us right back to the present moment. The reality is, there is only ever the present moment, so why worry about tomorrow or feel guilt about the past?
The kata begins by drawing the arms round in a circle. The movement is sometimes called viewing the sky. It has practical purposes, but also draws upon symbolism, a key component of all rituals.
Viewing the sky.... light from the sun takes 8 minutes to arrive here. We see the sun as it was 8 minutes ago. The star known as Epsilon Eridani is roughly 10 light years away. We see it now as it was a decade ago. Another star, Shedar (alpha Cassiopeia) goes back 150 light years - to a time when many of our karate katas were created or modified.
In viewing the sky we travel back in time.
The opening sequence of Kushanku can be a reminder for us. It takes us back to an era when the fighting arts were being developed, modified and used on a daily basis. Back then you could consider yourself as having a good day if you were still alive at tea time! Martial arts were practiced as a means of maintaining good health (which keeps you working, which keeps you in food and shelter)... and they were also a means of self-preservation.
The arts have of course changed somewhat over the last 150 years. Competition, aesthetics, and entertaining shows are now part of the whole package. (Not forgetting the disaster of Japanese politics in first half of the last century, and its mark on karate....) Karate is now a world-wide activity which attracts millions of enthusiasts.
The original purpose of the arts isn't forgotten though. Somewhere deep inside the 50-or-60-odd movements of, say Kushanku, we can find a glimpse of the old ways. It's important not to be stuck in a rut, but in doing kata we rememeber the people who learned, trained, fought and died over the years. What do their spirits make of us today, I wonder?
Learning karate can be a fun, positive experience. Trained correctly it brings good health, confidence, flexibility (as the adverts keep telling us), and perhaps a skill that might save our lives one day.
To achieve this we have to train with the right mindset. It comes from respecting our training partners, ourselves, and the legacy of times past. Sometimes you have to take things a little more seriously, or intense. You have to go beyond the comfort zone and take yourself to places "normal" people wouldn't visit (but there again normal people watch crap TV and are addicted to mobile phones).
Next time you're in the dojo take a few moments in sitting quietly. Think about the origins of your art, its people and their stories. What's your story? How will you bring the kata to life? How would you feel knowing Ko So Kun, or Itosu, or any of the old teachers we're looking down on your next training session?
In Kushanku the first movement is viewing the sky. Once the circle is complete the kata bursts into life, bringing us right back to the present moment. The reality is, there is only ever the present moment, so why worry about tomorrow or feel guilt about the past?
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