20 Lessons I Learned From 20 Years of Karate
This month marks the passing of my twentieth year of training in Shotokan karate. The following is a short and far from all-encompassing collection of thoughts that surfaced as I reminisced over this past year on where I am now relative to when I started training at the age of…
Power Through Softness
The concept of generating power through softness in martial arts is nothing new, but it is something that I personally feel is under-emphasized and not practiced enough in Shotokan karate. I am reminded of this concept from time to time when I notice students tensing up and stopping their techniques…
Three Variations On Hand & Foot Timing
After learning how to make a proper fist and how to punch from shizentai (natural posture/stance), one of the first techniques beginners usually learn to execute while moving forward in zenkutsu-dachi (front stance) is oi-zuki (straight punch). Coordinating ipsilateral movement of the upper and lower limbs is not something that comes…
50 Kata Day
The first time I experienced a “50 Kata Day” was when I was training with the OSU Shotokan Karate Club at The Ohio State University. I found the special training to be a fun challenge and it is now something I implement on an annual basis in both my personal…
Heel Down vs. Heel Up: The Case For Both Dorsiflexion & Plantarflexion
View Spanish translation. There are several topics of debate in martial arts that are perennially propagated and vociferously introduced to each new generation of practitioners, one of the most infamous of which is the apparent dilemma of whether the heel should be kept flush with the floor or allowed to…
The Anatomy Of Karate Hand Techniques
The standard fist or seiken is one of the simplest, most recognized, and universally employed techniques in martial arts and fighting. There are many different variations on making a fist in both positioning of the hand and the striking surface. Although the act of making a fist may be simple,…