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.