kata
Karate, It’s Not Just About Kicking And Punching
For most dedicated karateka and practitioners of other styles it really does go way beyond the dojo.
In many cases it is about acquiring useful life skills, discipline, focus, respect and confidence. Just to name a few.
I heard that Karate USA is challenging their students in a rather interesting way: Before they can graduate to their next belt/level they are required to do something that helps their community.
That means that by the time they reach black belt level, they would have, besides mastering kicks, punches, kata and what have you, organized and executed a number of projects that can make a real difference in their communities.
Some of these projects could be activities such as raising money for the homeless, picking up trash in their community or even helping orphanages in far away corners of the world.
I think this is a noteworthy cause and let’s see if there are some copy-cats out there.
Also, I thought I share their website with you.
Check it out right now:
TheMartialArtsReporter.com is pleased to offer its readers a special deal on nunchaku.
Enter the coupon code “savechucks” (without the quotations) during checkout at karatedepot.com and receive 10% off the price of any nunchaku purchased here!
Mokuso Or The Power Of Meditation Not Only For Martial Artists
The term meditation (in Japanese, Mokuso) refers to a variety of techniques or practices intended to focus or control attention.
Most of them are rooted in Eastern traditions. These techniques have been used by many different cultures and martial arts throughout the world for thousands of years.
I remember that during my years of studying Shotokan karate we always started and ended our training sessions with a short, maybe 1-2 minute each of relaxation or meditation in a kneeling position, also known as ‘seiza’.
The important part is to control your breathing like this:
Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth, exhale from deep within the abdomen.
Relax to let the troubles of the day evaporate, and clear your mind to be ready for the Karate class and to start refreshened.
Mokuso is the time to clear your head and eliminate any anger before entering class. There is no religious meaning attached to Mokuso.
A even more physically active way of meditation would be by performing kata .
Today, many people use meditation even outside of its traditional settings as a form of mind-body medicine.
Many claims have been made about its value in promoting or improving health and wellness.
Just this morning I read that daily meditation exercises have the potential to cut the risk of death from heart attack by 30 (thirty) percent and cancer even by 49 (forty-nine) percent.
There are even claims that one can add up to 12 more years to on’e life. That’s powerful in my book.
There you have it in a nutshell: Mokuso Or The Power Of Meditation Not Only for Martial Artists.
Don’t try this while driving or operating heavy machinery!
Master Terry Lyon of Lyon-Karate.com
Meditation During Yoga Practice
The Highest Ranking Female Judoka In The World
As you know by now, it is always a pleasure for me to post something interesting and inspirational about and for female martial artists.
Today we continue our tradition and this a big one!
Our featured female martial artist, Keiko Fukuda, was born in 1913 in Tokyo, Japan.
It wasn’t until 1935 that she actually started practicing the martial art of judo at the age of 21. Look at those dates again and be amazed like I am.
At that time, Japan and many other industrialized countries were still deeply affected by The Great Depression that started in 1929 and continued for many even until the end of World War II in 1945.
I don’t consider myself a Japanology expert, but I am pretty sure that Japanese women weren’t necessarily encouraged to pursue a martial arts career in the 1930s.
Keiko Fukuda was even exceptional in those days by flat-out rejecting an arranged marriage to do just that after being being invited to study judo by its founder Jigoro Kano himself in the newly created women’s division!
Kano had been a Jujutsu student of her grandfather, Fukuda Hachinosuke, who at one time had been a samurai.
Amazingly, today Keiko Fukuda is the last living pupil of Kano.
Empowering and inspring women about the kata (forms) of Kodokan judo, Keiko Fukuda published the instructional book Born for the Mat in 1973.
In 2001, the United States Judo Federation awarded her a rare red belt for her lifelong contribution to judo.
It was in January 2006 that the Kodokan Judo Institute also awarded her the 9th degree black belt (9th dan).
Keiko Fukuda is currently the only woman in the world to hold a 9th degree black belt from any recognized judo organization.
At the time of writing this post, Keiko Fukuda is close to 97 and I bet some of you are thinking that she probably spends her days just sitting at home in front of the TV watching The Price Is Right or whatever.
Nothing could be further from the truth, because she still teaches at the Soko Joshi Judo Club in the Noe valley district of San Francisco, California as well as at the annual Joshi Judo Camp, a camp she founded in 1974 to give women judoka an opportunity to train together.
Gentle, Strong, Beautiful, she is judo pioneer, Keiko Fukuda, the highest ranking female judoka in the world.
I am dedicating today’s post to all female martial artists. Past, current and future.
Every Month Should Be Women’s Self-Defense Awareness Month
How’s it goin’?
I finally got around to watch a movie that I have been wanting to watch for a long time, called “Tears Of The Sun” starring Bruce Willis. I am not a certified film critic, but honestly I wasn’t too impressed with the script itself. However, I do appreciate U.S. Navy Seals Tactics. More on that shortly.
Anyway …..
I have pointed out numerous times during the last couple of months on this blog that I am a fervent supporter of women’s no-nonsense self-defense training for real-life situations.
I am not advocating women to live in constant fear. Instead, I wholeheartedly support programs that empower women to go through life in a state of prepared awareness.
Why? Let’s have a look at some statistics gathered from the U.S. Dept. of Justice, RAINN, CDC, GBI and FBI sources that might shock you:
- 1 in 4 women have been or will be the target of an attempted or completed rape during their lifetime.
- More than 70% of women raped are known to their attackers in some way—an acquaintance, friend, neighbor, co-worker, relative, husband or boyfriend.
- Most attacks and assaults occur within 1 mile of your home, work, school or office.
- 1 in 12 women will be stalked during their lifetime.
- Each year, more than 13,000 women are attacked on the job in the U.S.
- A violent crime occurs every 22 seconds in the U.S. (rape, robbery, assault, murder, with and without weapons).
I can only be the messenger through this blog:
If you are a girl/woman or if you know a girl/woman you care about (and who doesn’t?!), I really urge you and them to look into taking practical self-defense training classes on a regular basis.
I really mean it!
Practical in my mind does not mean practicing Karate kata, which I happen to enjoy myself. But there is a place and time for everything.
The following clip gives a pretty good intro and I know that women, heck, even guys, can benefit from the information put on display.
Girl Power Expressed Through Karate Kata Perfection
If you have been following this blog lately you probably have noticed that I like to mix things up between different martial arts styles such as Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu aka BJJ aka Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Western Boxing, Jeet Kune Do, Wing Chun Kung Fu, just to name a few.
Today, I’m in the mood for some really impressive Karate moves. The kind of moves you see when true artists are at work or better performing a kata.
For those of you not familiar with kata, here a short description:
Kata is a Japanese word for choreographed patterns of movements that can be performed either solo or in pairs or even groups.
Kata is commonly known in the Japanese martial arts such as Aikido, Judo, Karate, Iaido and others.
You come across patterns of movements in other non-Japanese martial arts such as Tai Chi Chuan and Taekwondo. They just use Chinese and Korean words instead.
To get a better idea of what karate kata perfection looks like, have a look at this video clip of the Japanese Female Kata Team competing in 2008.
Amazing! But I will let you be the judge.
The Lighter Side Of Karate Kata
I hope you are having a great weekend.
Yesterday I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Strikeforce’s Saturday Night Fights on CBS. Did you see them, too?
I always learn something watching these MMA modern day gladiators compete. They are amazing.
Well, anyway, I am taking it easy today and I thought you might just enjoy “The Lighter Side of Karate Kata” with the one and only Bas Rutten.
Two Of My All-Time Favorite Shotokan Karate Katas
Yesterday, I already talked about karate katas by re-introducing former World Champion, Jean Frenette.
Today, I would like to share the two katas I used to really like doing while practicing Shotokan karate.
The first one is known as Enpi which translated means ‘Flying Swallow’ and the kata itself tries to depict the dynamic fighting form of a swallow in flight. Hmm.
And the second one is called Jion (translated ‘Temple of Love and Goodness’). It clearly emphasizes the importance of the perfection of the basic stances, notably zenkutsu dachi (front stance) and kiba dachi (horse stance).
Hirokazu Kanazawa, 10th Dan, the Chief instructor and President of Shotokan Karate-do International Federation, impressively demonstrates both of them for us.
By the way, Sensei Kanazawa is one of the very few remaining karateka who were able to train under the founder of Shotokan karate, Gichin Funakoshi.
Alright then, tighten your belt for Enpi and Jion:
Jean Frenette, Performing Goju-Ryu Karate Kata And Beyond
Lately, I have been following a number of my fellow martial arts bloggers publish rather intriguing and very insightful posts on the intricacies of kata.
And I must say, while reading these posts I have been learning or better re-learning after many years of not practicing or even performing Shotokan karate katas, which I happen to have thoroughly enjoyed in a former life.
During those kata-filled years there was a Franco-Canadian Goju-Ryu karateka, by the name of Jean Frenette, who really infused the love and excitement for kata in me like no one I had ever experienced before.
He exuded incredible energy and unmatched esthetics all while somehow masterfully combining slow and fast portions of each kata that he displayed.
His superb skills helped him win a stunning five World Championship titles.
Here is a real classic demo reel of Jean Frenette performing with music and I know it’s probably more artistic than martial for some people’s taste, but technically it’s way up there.
And great performers like Jean Frenette most certainly have inspired quite a large number of people to start and even continue their martial arts/karate practice. That’s definitely a good thing.
What I also found interesting about Jean Frenette was that after a very successful karate career he moved on to the movie industry.
One of his earlier roles was in Police Academy 4, in which he played a karate instructor.
During the years he has been a stunt performer in many, many movie productions.
As of late, he was the stunt coordinator in movies such as ‘Eye of The Beholder’ starring Ashley Judd as well as ‘The Aviator’ directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leo DiCaprio, Kate Beckinsdale, Jude Law and many more well-known names in Tinseltown.
His extensive karate training continues to come in pretty handy for Jean Frenette as a stunt performer and now as a stunt coordinator.
SUPER DEAL! SIGN UP TODAY!
Pages
Archives
Categories
Links
