Recently, a friend sent me an article on an aspect of Martial Arts that talked about using posture to increase your power. I thought this was worth commenting on. Posture is very important in your training, power is not. Posture is what allows one to have and maintain balance. If we are to be concerned with taking the kazushi of an attacker, we must maintain our own. Many times we see a practitioner bent over Read more…
I am often asked about working out, and/or attending class when one is injured or ill. When should you take time off? I have spoken about pain working for you. You do too many reps, you use too much weight, you go too many miles and your body tells you, with pain that enough is enough. This is one level of using pain as a barometer. If you never get through some pain, you never Read more…
“All warfare is based on deception.” So said Sun Tzu In The Art of War. This is particularly important in our martial art. It is often, also, a matter of confusion for students. As a teacher I try to explain what we are doing in terms of application of principle, but, as I explain the student may be trying to look at what a technique looks like. So, I need to either exaggerate a movement, Read more…
Human beings are not the strongest, fastest, toughest or longest living species on this planet. How then did we come to be the dominant species. I believe it is our ability to adapt to circumstances, and our ability to use tools. Rather than fangs or claws we use knives, swords and spears. Rather than thick hides and heavy coats of fur, we have clothes and armor. We built our own wings and now fly further Read more…
Fairly often I am asked the question above. Or a variation; which martial art should I choose for myself, my child, and so on. The answer is not simple. All martial arts, as well as martial sports, can give you tremendous benefits far beyond knowing what to do in a fight. You can get in better shape. You can develop more concentration. Confidence. Balance and much more. Usually, when someone asks where they should go Read more…
When we enter into one of our kata, an attack, or a counter-attack, we strive to move with a core body rotation that allows us to move one part of our body forward as the equal but opposite side moves back. This allows us to ‘disappear’ from the opponent without going anywhere. While this sounds like magic it is really physically quite sound. If an attacker grasps us and we move towards him, we cannot Read more…
What is tameshigiri. How do we practice it and for it, and why do we practice it. Recently Nami ryu had a gathering of the clan at the River of Life dojo to practice tameshigiri under the direction of James Williams sensei. It was a great time and a great group of Nami ryu instructors, and instructors to be. I rolled about two hundred mats into targets of one, two and three mats of wara Read more…
https://www.facebook.com/103293949757145/photos/a.275140159239189/1940619816024540/?type=3 This last weekend I was fortunate to host a gathering of the Nami ryu clan at the River of Life dojo. Please click on the link for a group photo. The training was phenomenal and an opportunity to practice freely taught principles and technique that are considered ‘secret’ by many other ryu. But those are subjects for another day. What I want to talk about are the deep bonds that have been forged over Read more…
Commutative locking is a principle of jujutsu that is integral to the art. A simple demonstration involves taking a finger of you partner and turning it until the wrist is locked. Turn it some more and the shoulder is locked. Turn again and the spine is controlled and soon you can feel the training partner all the way down to the feet. With this type of lock-up, if you move, your partner must also. If Read more…
Pain is a very important source of information. It tells you when you’ve gone too far. It tells you when you’ve done too much. In that manner you could say that pain works for you. If something hurts, you stop. As my teacher is fond of saying; “the hot pot teaches best.” Well, I don’t know about best, but it teaches a lesson! When you touch the hot pot you pull your hand away fast. Read more…