Spartacus Maximus

Concentration is very important in martial arts. Without it nothing else is possible. Just as every other aspect of martial arts it must be trained and practised to have any success. It does not come instantly or quickly but develops with time, little by little. Each person is different and some can concentrate better than others but anyone can improve with training.

Mantras can take many different forms, but the form or syllables are simply sounds and are much less relevant than the purpose. The function of a mantra is to focus concentration to achieve a goal or an ideal. It works in a way similar to self-suggestion or hypnosis. It is not a prerequisite to be of a particular spiritual, philosophical or religious persuasion to use this practice. Suggestion can be either positive or negative. Repeating positive things brings positive thoughts and results in positive action leading to success in achieving goals.

Naturally ambidextrous individuals are indeed rare, but fortunately with dedicated training it is possible and not that difficult to change that. With enough practise, anyone can become as good with one side as the other and this is a great advantage for martial arts and daily life. The natural preference for one side may remain but training to be equally competent with both sides eliminates a major weakness. A good benchmark is to train at a ratio of at least 30:10. Practise everything three times as much as the dominant side with the weaker side. If right-handed, start with the left and become left-handed. Another more indirect way to train the weaker side is to try to use it more often in daily life. That will stimulate, activate and reinforce it.

The idea of testing for a level is flawed in many ways. Skill level as well as technical understanding is apparent in the way one trains and practises. This is obvious to the trained eye of a skilled instructor. Evaluation is a constant process of observation and one either has a skill level or does not. How and when an instructor chooses to formally recognize this is a matter of personal choice. Formal gradings and so-called testing are meant for an entirely different purpose than deciding whether or not students have a certain level. The instructor knows the students are ready, the importance of the test is in its symbolic meaning which is to give students a tangible representation of their progress and reward them for it. In one word "ego".

This man has indeed made several good points, however, as others have pointed out the way he conveys his message is somewhat harsh and difficult to accept. Reading the article carefully clearly shows that the author knows this and accepts the fact that it will likely displease many among the target audience. The point which resonates most in this article is the fact that "martial" karate is different and that dojos where karate is taught in that way are the minority. This is true in Okinawa, Japan and everywhere else. Another important fact often overlooked is that karate was never meant to be taught to large groups. In order to teach it to masses, changes had to be made in the methods. The average person today is simply unable and unwilling to endure the type of training refered to in the article. The fact of the matter is that martial arts are considered by most as hobby or weekly activity. There are exceptions, but they are few and far between. Anyone may practise martial arts, but the martial aspect is definitely not for everyone, nor is it everyone's aspiration. If karate was taught with the methods used a mere 30 years ago in Okinawa and Japan, it is very doubtful there would be as many people doing it. Just 15 years ago, bruises and bloody noses were common. When it happens nowadays everyone panicks and immediately finds fault instead of trying to learn.

In agreement with the point put forward about the teaching style and method. It is indeed shallow judgement to dismiss an entire system simply because one finds the instruction style incompatible with one's learning style. Most instructors of East Asian systems have inherited their methods from their teachers and thus reproduce it in their own dojo. This trend is especially common for those who were trained in East Asia or by East Asian exponents. These methods, although tried and tested are not necessarily suited to modern culture or the Western mind. They are not set in stone either and it is the mark of a wise teacher to adapt training methods.

It is not necessary to do anything specifically for cardio. There are many other ways to train cardio that are not the usual jogging or skipping rope. To work cardio, all that is necessary is increasing the rhythm and intensity. This is easily applicable to any simple solo drill. For example, one could try a punch and kick combination as many times as possible nonstop for 3minutes at maximum speed and intensity while moving around the perimeter of the dojo. It is much harder than it sounds and guaranteed to work cardio. Creativity is the key and imagination the only limit.

Perhaps it is some sort of knot resulting from muscle cramps which happen quite often. The area that feels stuck is the upper shoulders, the trapezius muscles maybe. Massage seems to work, but it seems like the effect is only temporary. Other than regular acupuncture treatments nothing else seems to be as effective. Thankfully it is not tight enough to be painful, it is just a feeling of being tense as if the muscles were constantly contracted and heavy

In the end, a system is only as effective as the methods employed to train. What is important is that no matter the method or purpose of practise, repetition is a major component of all martial arts. It requires focus, concentration and most of all dedication, diligence and patience to keep on doing it. Consider boxing for example. It is relatively simple and when observing the typical training, boxers can be seen doing the same 4 or 5 punches. Jab, hook, cross, uppercut, day in day out. Surely an athlete with only 6 month of this at only a few days a week(the average training time) cannot expect to have the level of one who has been at it everyday for 5 years. Too often there is a tendency to underestimate the time it takes to actually get good at physical skills such as in martial arts. It is not fair to oneself to expect to be able to do after 6 months what took the expert years to master. Patience and hard work make the impossible possible. It is just a question of how hard one is willing to work at it.

If one is bored with training and gives up after a mere 6 months, perhaps such a person is not suited for the martial arts. Martial arts by nature are boring and repetitive. No matter what the school or system, if one lacks the patience and determination to persevere through repeated training how can one expect to gain any sort of skill? Too many people expect instant results and forget that those who are skilled got that way precisely because they trained the same things day in and day out. Over and over again. For many years.

Pure cotton canvas should not ever be machine dried! It will weaken the fibers and ruin the gi(ruined 2 of them, learned the hard way). High quality ones such as shureido should be smoothed out by stretching the wrinkled areas gently by pressing with the hands. Dry by hanging it indoors or outdoors in natural light.

Dropping and relaxing the shoulders to solicit the back and core muscles is a fundamental of powerful techniques. It is much easier said than done and a common problem is shoulders becoming locked or stiff. This stiffness and tension remains even after training is finished, sometimes for days. Any ideas or innovations on how to avoid becoming shoulder-locked or getting rid of the stiffness?

After building up a consistent regular student base, there is more time to concentrate on publicizing. An opening anniversary event where students are encouraged to invite friends or family members to join training for a limited time discount might be effective.

The general idea that ought to be used as a guideline for every decision is to avoid unnecessary expenses and minimize any other spending. The first step to that is of course, starting the dojo out of a public space such as what has been suggested before. Community gyms, recreation centres etc...As for equipment, get only the barest mimimum but borrow it, get it on sale or buy used.

Many karateka struggle with this, not just beginners either. It is a common mistake to neglect training and strengthening the lower body, but that is where a great portion of power is generated in karate and many other martial arts. If the foundations are not firm and stable, none of the other techniques will work. It will take time and dedication before improvement shows. Nothing less than daily practise is necessary to yield tangible results.

Those numbers are a great start for a single year. A dojo that manages to maintain between 20 and 30 regular members is usually on the right path to success from a service business point of view.

Usually when stances or kicks are weak it is because the legs themselves are also weak. To improve this requires increasing leg strength and endurance by doing lower body exercises such as squats. These can be done without weights or with a barbell or dumbells. There are many other possibilities but any exercise targeting the legs will help. For endurance, holding the stance for a few minutes works well. Before and above everything else, get a qualified instructor to make sure the shikodachi is sound, balanced and well aligned. Bad alignment will damage the knees over time. Once that is good, practise going up and down from a neutral position to a full shikodachi slowly holding each stage for a minute or so.

The intent here is for intermediate level student and lower dan level students to fine tune the basic techniques so that correct body mechanics are ingrained. This must be done at this level before the same techniques can be practised in other drills and with partners later on. The higher dan students probably train in that fashion. A technique must be correct before it can be made applicable and effective. One more reason why I believe the instructor has asked me to do this is that there might be an official evaluation in store in a few months.

Priorities are certainly the key, but sometimes people are genuinely worried about training. Parents are a special case and they are probably more difficult to deal with than others. A child is always a child in their eyes and just thinking that they might somehow get hurt while training or because of it stirs up worries. Even long after the child has turned into an adult and left home to live their own lives. There is not much else to do except reassure them and change the subject but after a while one is at a loss for words to do that. Especially if they ask about it often. Unfortunately they cannot be blown off casually like workmates or others who are not so close.

All of this sounds familiar and there is much similarity to the rules in effect in the governing body I once belonged to. The rules were different for domestic and foreign dojo. In Okinawa and Japan, anyone below 5dan could not run a dojo. A 5th Dan also required approval from hombu and their own sensei to start one. For foreign dojos, the minimum grade was 3dan but one needed to have approval and support from the senior representative, one's sensei, as well as supervision from at least a 5th dan. Personally I believe 5dan is more ideal for starting a dojo. When I had reached my former 3dan I thought I was ready to run a dojo and had everything planned and written down to the last detail. A year into re-starting and relearning the exact same Shorin ryu showed that I was far from ready then. Another year and a half proved that starting over was a good decision.

Remaining civil regardless of petty squabbles and competition no matter what is the best way to handle things. Never forget that in the end, nobody can decide which dojo students will chose. As an instructor one can do one's damnedest to attract and keep students but not much else. It is best to just let the other dojo do what it does and focus on teaching. Students will come and stay with an instructor who enjoys sharing knowledge and skills with dedication. It matters not who is next door or what they do. There is no reason that two dojo of similar or identical systems cannot coexist on the same street or even in the same building for that matter. The similarity is often only superficial. No two instructors teach exactly alike, nor with the same goal even if both teach the same style.

Thank you for the support. The idea was entirely from my instructor but it is nothing new. At a certain point in training it becomes necessary to work on detail and improving specific areas. Basics are often neglected but they are actually the most difficult to do correctly and they are the foundation of the system. It makes perfect sense to spend more time training these than anything else. Especially at the intermediate kyu and lower dan levels. General practise of everything is good but learning to pick one thing and focus on improving it is vital to increasing skill. Karate training truly advances as an aged tortoise with arthritis in the legs....

Some people are probably easier to talk to and rationalize with than others. Those who are most likely to be worried or concerned are usually very close such as parents or spouses. It can be very difficult to explain things precisely because these people are so dear and certainly have a very different idea of what is too much. To them, training for an hour or more each day might be too much. Like the public at large they probably think of martial arts as a hobby or leisure activity.

One more important thing that must not be forgotten is to remember that sparring is NOT a fight for one's life nor is it self defense. It may be serious but it remains a training exercise. The other person is not an enemy and the goal is to learn not kill or maim one another. As in any stressful and risky situation maintain self control. Do not let fear or anger and adrenaline to take over and overwhelm the senses as this is a sure way to lose to someone who can control them. It is easier said than done, but as everything else in martial arts practise will make it possible.

Avoid bouncing and stay well rooted to the ground when striking. Keep the knees bent stay low, but be mobile. Never use any technique in isolation and be sure to combine attack with defense because they are one. Make use of angles for offense and defense they are an effective advantage. Finally, when an opening presents itself go for it without hesitation. Seizing opportunities can determine the outcome of the bout. Lastly do not ever retreat by stepping backwards in a straight line.