I recently begun training in kobudo alongside my karate practice. The two arts are very different, yet inextricably linked. So what is kobudo? And why am I so pumped to train it alongside karate? (more…)
There once was a samurai who was renowned for his swordsmanship. He had fought countless battles and defeated hundreds of opponents on the battlefield. So when he heard that the emperor was holding an exhibition whereby a few selected warriors would be invited to demonstrate their skill, he began looking forward to the invitation. When it finally came, he read it with eager anticipation. (more…)
It’s been a while since I’ve written a post related to karate. The realization dawned on me the other day, and so I took some time to stop and reflect on why that might be – I didn’t have an immediate explanation. (more…)
Sometimes, when we’re learning something, whether it be a sport, an art, or something else, we find we plateau, reaching a point where it seems like we can’t improve any further. When you find yourself hitting this point, it might be time to try teaching others.
How will that help? Read on. (more…)
I was lucky enough to attend a tea ceremony at the grand opening of a friend’s karate dojo this past weekend. It was a beautiful ceremony, and the perfect way to cap off the day. But what do karate and the traditional Japanese tea ceremony have in common? (more…)
It’s been a while since I wrote a life lessons series post, but I’ve been waiting for the right one. The one I’m going to share today is especially meaningful to me, because it’s the quote I chose to sign off with on my sensei’s dojo wall when I was given my black belt. (more…)
This is a continuation of an earlier post on the journey to black belt. The grading felt like it was over as soon as it began. One minute we’re warming up, and the next we’re bowing out. I knew it would go quickly, but not that quickly. I mean geeze, I don’t even remember parts of my grading.
I’m told I threw knees during sparring, yet I have no recollection of that. I thought I performed four katas, when I really did six. What I do remember is that the warm-up was tough, designed to exhaust you before the grading even began. If you didn’t pace yourself, you were in for a world of hurt. So what else happened at our black belt grading? (more…)
If you’ve trained in a dojo for any period of time, then you know that there are times where you work with a partner. Most drills require partnership – after all, you don’t learn the physical side of karate just by hitting air. What isn’t immediately apparent to new students though, is that there’s an art to partnership. (more…)
