New Edition Of The Shotokan Way

I have not had the time I would have liked to write original articles so far this year due to my schedule in and outside the dojo.  However I always try to take a few moments to read good articles from websites I like and/or share a few worthwhile videos from YouTube with our readers.

The March edition of The Shotokan Way is available for review.  This month's edition features an in-depth interview with Alistair Mitchell.  What I appreciated most from this Part I  interview was his discussion about intense training and overcoming the mental limitations of fear, pain and exhaustion.  I also appreciated his discussion on what it was like training in the 1970's and the hardness of spirit and technique that I believe we have lost a bit today with martial arts in general.

The other article on "What You See Is What You Get" is another interesting piece and addresses the issue of  not following instructors blindly base on an elevated or artificial rank.  Instructors have an obligation to "walk the talk" at all times.  Unfortunately some instructors manipulate others for their personal selfish interests, instead of having the best interests of their students in mind.

Please check out the latest edition and we will continue to provide you with links and resources from some of the best online shotokan resources that we have found.

New Edition Of The Shotokan Way

The January edition of The Shotokan Way is available for review.  This month's edition features an in-depth interview with Kanazawa Sensei who needs no introduction if you are familiar with Shotokan Karate.  If you are not, he is a legend in the Shotokan world and head of the S.K.I.F. (Shotokan Karate International Federation).  He trained also trained directly with Master Funakoshi,  Nishiyama Sensei and Nakayama Sensei amongst many others.

What I love the most about this interview is how is succinctly summarizes years of knowledge and training into short yet powerful words.  I also found he answer about slight SKIF kata variations quite interesting. Breathing, meditation, power (tension vs relaxation), hip rotation, stances and various katas are also discussed.  This interview is a must read for any Shotokan practioner new or old.

Please check out the latest edition and we will continue to provide you with links and resources from some of the best online shotokan resources that we have found.

Perspectives On Shotokan Karate

YouTube is a great teaching and learning tool I wish I had when I first started my karate training.  That being said, there is a lot of information out there, some good, some not so much.

Here is a unique video I saw from Sensei Gary Swain from the ISKF. What I like about this video is that he clearly articulates and summarizes the real meaning behind shotokan karate and martial arts training in general in my opinion.  I found this video to be parallel to my personal sentiments and philosophies behind why I teach and train- and how we teach and train at our dojo.

Whether you agree with his perspectives and opinions in the video, it is a good example of some of the content that is available to shotokan karate practioners outside of the plethora of techniques, tournaments and sparring videos that are on YouTube or Vimeo.  

We are not affiliated with Sensei Swain or the ISKF but that is one of the things that makes shotokan karate great.  We are all part of a brotherhood and sisterhood that is much bigger than association affiliations.  We are part of a tradition that has been passed down for hundreds of years no matter where you train or who you train with. 

Enjoy and I hope this is thought provoking for you in terms of your personal reasons for training and your philosophies about shotokan karate in general.

Age Is No Limit To Karate Training

One of my goals this year is to bring more frequent and interesting stories from the karate and martial arts world to our readers.  

Here is a inspiring story about a 68 year old man from the UK who has undergone several surgeries and prostate cancer yet still continues to train karate. Click here to read the rest of this story.

He serves as a reminder to all of us that when you put your mind to doing something, anything is possible.

2013 Happy New Year- Why Not To Make New Year's Resolutions

On behalf of Sensei Norman Smith and myself at Way of Life Shotokan Karate-Do, I would like to wish you and your loved ones a healthy, prosperous and fulfilling new year.

Now that 2013 is upon us, I thought it would be good to review some of the articles I wrote in 2012.  The banner at the top of our site highlights the most popular articles of all time, and the trending posts widget at the bottom of our site highlights the most popular articles in the past 30 days.   There are other articles I have written that are archived on our site that I would like to highlight as well.  Here are 3 articles worth digging up from our archives that apply to New Year's Resolutions:

1. Why Not To Make a New Year's Resolution (still appropriate for 2013)
2. Practice Does Not Make Perfect
3. No Excuses-No Limits

Sometimes what is old is new again. To our readers around the world- we hope you continue to visit our website in 2013 for more new in-depth articles and opinions.  For our local NYC area readers, we hope you come in an visit us this month and start your new year with shotokan karate as a "way of life".