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.

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".

The Essence Of Karate

Greetings to all of our readers and welcome back to school, work and the Fall season in general.  Over the Labor Day weekend I traveled back to my hometown of Toronto, Canada to visit friends and family.  When I arrived I made a point of visiting my former teacher Kancho Takemasa Okuyama.  We had spoken in sometime and I wanted to reconnect with him as I do not get the opportunity to travel back to Canada very often.

In an article I wrote last month about How To Choose a Karate School, you will note I did a lot research and visiting karate schools in Toronto in the 1990's before I found him, and consider myself very fortunate to have done so.

Visiting him was a pleasure and going back to my old dojo brought back a lot of fond memories. It also reminded me of what I admire about him most, which I would like to share with you today on the anniversary of the attacks of September 11th.

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.

No Excuses- No Limits

First of all a happy Independence Day to all our readers in the U.S. and a happy Canada Day this past week for our readers in Canada.

Speaking of Canada, I would like to take an opportunity to introduce you to another fellow Canadian- Baxter Humby.  Given my busy schedule I do not always have time to physically train at the dojo so I try to supplement my training with books articles, programs and other martial arts information where I can.  Lately I have been watching World Championship Kickboxing (WCK) on satellite when the family is asleep.  I'll watch MMA as well, but enjoy watching WCK as the fighting style more closely resembles what I am used to when I train.  WCK is really Muay-Thai rules and most fighters come from this background.  I digress.

So there I am on my couch watching a late night WCK program when I see a one-armed fighter come on TV.  This of course intrigued me not only to watch him fight, but to also find out a little more about who he was.

Karate Is Life And Death

Japanese calligraphy for "ki" or "life force"

Reading the title for this article is a little misleading I will readily admit and probably not what you are thinking.  I am not referring to having to defend yourself on the street against malicious attackers, nor am I referring to the "one punch one kill" philosophy of karate and many other of the martial arts.

Rather I am referring to the passing of a very good friend of mine this week.  His name was Shaam Rodrigo and his death, like all deaths, was way too soon.  His death was sudden although he had been fighting Multiple Scleroses for several years.  In his death, I would like to discuss his life and the lessons I think he can show us all, martial artists included.

Niju Kun Part 7- Apply The Way Of Karate To All Things

My focus in these short articles is to share my personal experience and provide a modern interpretation of each of the 20 precepts, both in the dojo and in life in general.  In no way do I claim to have "the" insight to what Funakoshi was thinking when he wrote them. Nor do I think my interpretation is applicable for everyone. With this context, I share my thoughts with you humbly and sincerely. I hope you gain or validate your own personal insights in my writing, and explore how they can benefit you in many aspects of your life.

Practice Does Not Make Perfect

" Practice Does Not Make Perfect, Perfect Practice Makes Perfect" 

Vince Lombardi

Being the avid football fan I am of the hometown Superbowl Champion New York Football Giants (has a nice ring to it), I like to watch any and all things football- regular season or off-season. You don't need to be a football fan to know who Vince Lombardi is, the impact he had on football and the impact he still has on popular culture today.  Vince was know for being a perfectionist and demanded excellence from his players at all times- on the practice field as well as on game day.  I heard this quote recently while watching a Vince Lombardi biography and it has applicability to many things, karate training included.

Shotokan Myths Book Review

If you are new to our blog let me fist start by saying welcome, and we hope that you continue to visit our site for updates and opinions.  I normally do not write articles on "how-to's" as there are many karate websites and YouTube videos that do a good job of this already.  In an effort to diversify our topics I am writing my first book review on an excellent book I recently read entitled Shotokan Myths by Kousaku Yokota Sensei.

Breaking The Barriers Of Discrimination Through Karate

Given the fact that we celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Day last week and we are coming up on Black History Awareness Month in February, I felt compelled to write a short article on some of the parallels that I see between these events and the life and philosophy of Gichin Funakoshi (founder of modern day Shotokan Karate), and how karate is a way to continue the efforts for equality and non-discrimination among all people today.

Why Not To Make A New Year's Resolution In 2012

On behalf of all of us at Way of Life Shotokan Karate-Do I would like to wish you Happy New Year and to all a healthy and fulfilling 2012 where your dreams and desires are realized whatever they may be. Now that the new year is upon us, it is the ritual season of making resolutions now that the calendar has turned a page.  Here is my advice for your 2012 New Year's Resolution- don't bother.

Niju Kun Part 6- The Heart Must Be Set Free

My focus in these short articles is to share my personal experience and provide a modern interpretation of each of the 20 precepts, both in the dojo and in life in general.  In no way do I claim to have "the" insight to what Funakoshi was thinking when he wrote them. Nor do I think my interpretation is applicable for everyone. With this context, I share my thoughts with you humbly and sincerely. I hope you gain or validate your own personal insights in my writing, and explore how they can benefit you in many aspects of your life.

Hidden Meaning In Karate

If you are a reader of our blog, you will know that we recently moved to a new location in Mamaroneck NY.  When decorating our dojo, we decided to intentionally place various artwork pieces throughout the dojo.  The reason for doing this was more than for artistic purposes.  We did this because of the of the meaning these artwork pieces have on our training and the spirit or intention behind them.

In this article I would like to humbly share the meaning for me behind "Enso" or "circle" and how I try to use it in my day-to-day training, and life in general.

What Do Ancient Samurai Have To Do With Karate Today?

If you are a reader of our blog, you will know that we recently moved to a new karate school location in Mamaroneck NY.  When decorating our dojo, we decided to place 4 artwork pieces depicting samurai at the very front of the dojo when you first walk in.   The reason for doing this was more than for artistic purposes.  We did this because of the profound impact the samurai code has on martial arts and is an integral aspect of how we endeavor to train.  In fact, the very origin of Japanese "budo" or "martial arts" is rooted in the samurai.

Karate Is Below The Belt

I will get back to the Niju Kun series very shortly but I wanted to share a personal observation with you while driving home from class last night.  Karate is below the belt.To those who have trained karate or any martial art for a period of time this comes as no surprise.  In fact it is one one very first things we learn.  What do I mean by karate is below the belt?

Niju Kun Part 5- Mentality Over Technique

My focus in these short articles is to share my personal experience and provide a modern interpretation of each of the 20 precepts, both in the dojo and in life in general. In no way do I claim to have "the" insight to what Funakoshi was thinking when he wrote them. Nor do I think my interpretation is applicable for everyone. With this context, I share my thoughts with you humbly and sincerely. I hope you gain or validate your own personal insights in my writing, and explore how they can benefit you in many aspects of your life.

Niju Kun Part 4- First Know Yourself, Then Know Others

My focus in these short articles is to share my personal experience and provide a modern interpretation of each of the 20 precepts, both in the dojo and in life in general. In no way do I claim to have "the" insight to what Funakoshi was thinking when he wrote them. Nor do I think my interpretation is applicable for everyone. With this context, I share my thoughts with you humbly and sincerely. I hope you gain or validate your own personal insights in my writing, and explore how they can benefit you in many aspects of your life.

Niju Kun Part 3- There Is No First Strike In Karate

My focus in these short articles is to share my personal experience and provide a modern interpretation of each of the 20 precepts, both in the dojo and in life in general. In no way do I claim to have "the" insight to what Funakoshi was thinking when he wrote them. Nor do I think my interpretation is applicable for everyone. With this context, I share my thoughts with you humbly and sincerely. I hope you gain or validate your own personal insights in my writing, and explore how they can benefit you in many aspects of your life.

Niju Kun Part 2- Karate Begins & Ends With Rei (A Bow)

My focus in these short articles is to share my personal experience and provide a modern interpretation of each of the 20 precepts, both in the dojo and in life in general. In no way do I claim to have "the" insight to what Funakoshi was thinking when he wrote them. Nor do I think my interpretation is applicable for everyone. With this context, I share my thoughts with you humbly and sincerely. I hope you gain or validate your own personal insights in my writing, and explore how they can benefit you in many aspects of your life.

Niju Kun Part 1- Karate Goes Beyond The Dojo

My focus in these short articles is to share my personal experience and provide a modern interpretation of each of the 20 precepts, both in the dojo and in life in general. In no way do I claim to have "the" insight to what Funakoshi was thinking when he wrote them. Nor do I think my interpretation is applicable for everyone. With this context, I share my thoughts with you humbly and sincerely. I hope you gain or validate your own personal insights in my writing, and explore how they can benefit you in many aspects of your life.