On many occasions I have seen two practitioners set up for a kata, or drill, one is Uke (uke dashi) one is Tori ( shi achi.) Uke begins his attack and tori defends, or launches his counter-attack and it turns out that uke was not close enough and the kata Read more…
In older texts the teachers write of Shu – Ha – Ri. which means ’embracing the kata.’ Further explained the idea is that the student first is concerned with learning the moves of a kata; Shu. At the stage of Shu the student looks at the individual moves, what they Read more…
How do you choose the martial art, and martial art school that’s right for you? If you don’t live near a major city, you may not have many choices, but if you do there are probably dozens of different schools within driving distance. The one that meets your needs may Read more…
When should you use your martial arts training in an altercation? This is a serious consideration and deserves some deep thought. First, I would say that if your life, or the life of those you are responsible for, is threatened, then there is no thought, only training! But, before that Read more…
Many years ago Bruce Lee wrote that you should take what is useful and disregard the rest. People have taken that to menan that you should go from one art, or class, to another and another and so on, picking up a technique here and a form there. I have, Read more…
The root of the Martial Arts tree is grappling. Learning to be comfortable on the ground and have a clear knowledge of, at least, the basics of the art are essential. If an attacker closes on you and takes you to the ground, and it is unfamiliar territory for you, Read more…
There is always talk about what will work in terms of technique when you are in an actual confrontation. Are you techniques going to be too complicated. Will they require to much precision and fine motor skills? What will you remember? I have heard trainers say that you will only Read more…
Welcome to the River of Life dojo blog. This week I’d like to discuss a drill that James Williams Sensei just added to the ‘on line dojo,’ which you can find at www.vimeo.com. The drill entails simply standing side by side with your practice partner and resting your left hand Read more…
The other day a new student remarked that he was unsure about a part of a kata because he didn’t think someone would use the attack that was implied. It wasn’t the first time I have heard a thought like that, so; I think it would be prudent to discuss Read more…
Between my office and garage I have 24 notebooks that I have filled, over the years, with information regarding different martial arts. I have filled them because I have taken notes. Every once in a while a will have a student ask me how it’s possible to remember so many Read more…