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.

New Edition Of The Shotokan Way

The October edition of The Shotokan Way is available for review.  This month's edition features an in-depth interview with Brian Smith, an article on tournament rules and a review of the Legend Open 2012.

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.

How To Choose A Karate School

Japanese calligraphy for "Karate-Do"

Now that the summer is almost over I thought it would be a good time to write an in-depth article on how to choose a good karate school for parents or adults who might be thinking about joining a school in the fall.  There are many articles on how to choose a good karate school or on how to avoid what is termed a "McDojo" out there on the internet.  The purpose of this article is to summarize for you the good tips that are out there and add some of my personal experiences.

Obviously I co-own a karate school and therefore the tips or suggestions I will name are things that we practice in our training and employ in running our business.  However my intention is not to get you to join our school.  Many of you reading this article are not even located in the NYC area and will likely never train with us.  I am also writing the article from the perspective of someone with little to no previous experience in martial arts training, and will make it more of a beginners overview.

Karate By Jesse Website

In our ongoing effort to provide our readers with the best karate resources we can find on the web, I am happy to present you with a website I stumbled upon called KaratebyJesse.  This site is full of excellent articles, opinions and information for all karateka.  The layout of the site is very user friendly and incorporates social media aspects well.  Content is updated regularly with anything from fun articles like top 10 lists to more in-depth opinion articles like the the meaning of Zanshin.  

Jesse has also started another website called Karate Lovers.   This is the first social forum I have come across designed specifically for karateka and is pioneering in its concept.  I hope in time this becomes a destination site for serious discussion and "karate nerds" as Jesse puts it.

We live in a much different technological world than when I started training in 1986.  Back then I would travel into downtown Toronto to two stores that sold expensive books that showed diagrams and/or still photos of different techniques.  Information is now at your fingertips for free.  YouTube and other sites provide you with real-time access to information and people from around the globe on almost anything you want to know about the martial arts.  Sadly not all this content is a good thing and that is why we will continue to sort through it and provide you with the best resources we have discovered.

Be sure to check out and bookmark these sites to exercise your mind.

New Edition Of The Shotokan Way

The May edition of The Shotokan Way is available for review.  This month's edition features an in-depth article with Yoshiharu Osaka Shihan, Deputy Managing Director of the JKA, and a great article from Shaun Banfield entitled "From Jack Daniels To Kiai".  The interview with Osaka is another in their series of interviews with some of the most important and influential people in shotokan karate, and is a great insight into his thinking about shotokan.  Both articles also emphasize the "feeling" of techniquies and Shaun's article goes into great detail on this with some pictures as well.

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 March edition of The Shotokan Way is available for review.  This month's edition features an in-depth article on the passing of Sensei Randy Williams and an excellent article on training ground techniques while at home or in close quarters.  On behalf of Way of Life Shotokan Karate we would like to extend our condolences to the family, friends and students of Sensei Randy Williams.  Karate is a close knit community and the loss of someone like him is a loss to all of us all who train.

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

Click picture to go to website

The February edition of The Shotokan Way is available for review.  This month's edition features an in-depth interview with Elisa Au Fonseca, and an article on karate being what you make of it entitled "Sort Your Own Garden First".  The article with Elisa is a great read for all aspiring female karateka and the article from Shaun Banfield is a in-depth perspective on other articles that I have written about how people train karate for different reasons.

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

Click picture to go to website

The January edition of The Shotokan Way is available for review.  This month's edition features two in-depth interviews with Toshiaki Namiki and Hitoshi Kasuya, an article on thinking differently about kata and its' applications entitled "Be An Artist & Think".  I was particularly taken with the Namiki and Kasuya interviews and their take on incorporating the budo spirit into training.

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 Christmas edition of The Shotokan Way is available for review.  This month's edition features an in-depth interview with Richard Heselton, an article about proper stances and a provocative article entitled "Karate & Character".  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 November edition of The Shotokan Way is available for review.  This month's edition features some in-depth interviews and insights from some of the leading shotokan practioners in the world today.  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 latest edition of The Shotokan Way is available for review.  This month's edition features some in-depth interviews and insights from some of the leading shotokan practioners in the world today.  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.

Shotokan Karate Resources Part 2

Here is another must read for all Shotokan practioners.  It is a blog called www.theshotokanway.com and is updated on a monthly basis.  They regularly feature the "who's who" of Shotokan along with excellent insights about Shotokan Karate.  There are also alot of good resources for anyone wanting to learn about Shotokan and the martial arts.

Shotokan Karate Resources Part 1

Please let me introduce to a fantastic shotokan karate online resource if you were unaware if it. 24 Fighting Chickens is one of the best shotokan blogs out there and has been for some time.  Check out the newest blog entry by Rob Redmond on Practicing Kata in Your Room.