Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9
The reason your Sensei is always telling the class to get lower in their stances, is to build the strength of the leg muscles.
Having strong legs means having quickness in movement and power when kicking.
Being low initiates the flow of power from low to high.
Power comes from the ground and moves laterally or upwards.
Just try to deliver power from a high to low position and you'll soon understand where power comes from.
If beginners don't train from low and deep stances, they'll be at a disadvantage when sparring against someone who has...
...they'll get to feel the extra sting and power in their opponents attack and it'll be intimidating, knowing that they can't respond in kind.
Advanced students who have trained low and deep have the power and spring built into their legs and can train at more natural stances for increased manueverability.
They've also learned to drop their weight and rebound off the floor when punching or kicking.
No one, including myself likes to get down lower and deeper in stances, for the simple reason that it hurts, it's down right painful...
...but like what my Sensei says, "...if it doesn't kill you it will make you stronger"
Then there's the old adage, "no pain no gain"...
...I never new what that meant until I started my Karate training...
...I do now.
So, when your Sensei says get lower, then get lower, it's for your own good and you'll advance a lot faster on your path to becoming a true Karate-ka.
RJF
Monday, May 29, 2006
Saturday, May 27, 2006
"As soon as you leave home for work, think that millions of opponents are waiting for you...."
Funakoshi's 16 th principle of Karate...
Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9
This principle I believe, is all about awareness...
...awareness of your surroundings and of the circumstances that are ever changing as you go about your daily business.
It's not about being schizophrenic and fearing that your going to be attacked by someone at any moment ...
...it's more of a moving meditation or paying more attention to what is happening to you from a moment to moment reality.
If your attention is firmly anchored in the here and now, which takes a lot of practice to accomplish by the way, your ability to make the proper decision at the proper time will be significantly enhanced.
For example, if your stuck in a traffic jam and talking on a cell phone to someone, maybe the wife or husband...
...you won't even notice the car jacker walking up, smashing your car window and sticking a gun in your face.
Perhaps your at the ATM bank machine at night getting some cash, and your mind is a million miles away, thinking about something else...
...you won't even feel that baseball bat to your head until it's too late.
Get the picture...
To be totally aware of your situation means to have your mind and attention where it belongs...in the present and not in the imaginary realm of the future or reliving memories from the past.
When your mind is focused on the present, you have an array of self defense tools at your disposal...
...your peripheral vision can be developed to a point of being able to see things clearly happening from the side...
...and from the sides to your back, your sense of feeling can be developed so that you know when someone is coming up from your rear.
If your aware of your body and paying attention to it, you can actually feel your ears perking up to sounds coming from behind you...
Your body will alert you to danger but you must be there in the here and now to receive those messages.
Make a habit of reminding yourself throughout the day to simply stop for a moment and cease the activity of the mind. Focus the mind on your surroundings. Exercise your peripheral vision by trying to identify objects off to the sides. Feel the presence of others around you and use your ears to hear people moving about, particularly from the rear.
Practice bringing your mind back into the present and no one will ever be able to sneak up on you or catch you off guard...
RJF
Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9
This principle I believe, is all about awareness...
...awareness of your surroundings and of the circumstances that are ever changing as you go about your daily business.
It's not about being schizophrenic and fearing that your going to be attacked by someone at any moment ...
...it's more of a moving meditation or paying more attention to what is happening to you from a moment to moment reality.
If your attention is firmly anchored in the here and now, which takes a lot of practice to accomplish by the way, your ability to make the proper decision at the proper time will be significantly enhanced.
For example, if your stuck in a traffic jam and talking on a cell phone to someone, maybe the wife or husband...
...you won't even notice the car jacker walking up, smashing your car window and sticking a gun in your face.
Perhaps your at the ATM bank machine at night getting some cash, and your mind is a million miles away, thinking about something else...
...you won't even feel that baseball bat to your head until it's too late.
Get the picture...
To be totally aware of your situation means to have your mind and attention where it belongs...in the present and not in the imaginary realm of the future or reliving memories from the past.
When your mind is focused on the present, you have an array of self defense tools at your disposal...
...your peripheral vision can be developed to a point of being able to see things clearly happening from the side...
...and from the sides to your back, your sense of feeling can be developed so that you know when someone is coming up from your rear.
If your aware of your body and paying attention to it, you can actually feel your ears perking up to sounds coming from behind you...
Your body will alert you to danger but you must be there in the here and now to receive those messages.
Make a habit of reminding yourself throughout the day to simply stop for a moment and cease the activity of the mind. Focus the mind on your surroundings. Exercise your peripheral vision by trying to identify objects off to the sides. Feel the presence of others around you and use your ears to hear people moving about, particularly from the rear.
Practice bringing your mind back into the present and no one will ever be able to sneak up on you or catch you off guard...
RJF
Monday, May 22, 2006
Funakoshi's 15th principle says "Consider your opponent's hands and legs as you would sharp swords."
Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9
"Consider your opponent's hands and legs as you would sharp swords."
A lot of the martial art's techniques and styles, have evolved from historical sword fighting warfare.
In fact, I believe, if it weren't for the invention of hand guns and rifles, swords of all sizes would still be king...
...whether or not a society of sword wielding citizens would be less violent than today's gun toting one, I'm not sure...
...but it certainly wouldn't be as easy to rob or kill someone, as any coward on the street can do today.
Skill and honor has been replaced by the simple act of pointing and shooting...
...an act requiring as much skill and honor as a 10 year child possesses.
I believe, the gun has given power to the insane and uncaring elements of society...
...the very last group of people that we would want to be empowering.
Getting back to Funakoshi's principle...
...your going to have a keener sense of awareness of an attacker, if he is wielding a knife or sword.
You might have 1 or at the most 2 opportunities to finish off your attacker, so you've got to be focused and be able to deliver a fatal blow to a vulnerable area.
So, why not use that extra awareness when facing all of your opponents?
Spar and fight in Kumite as if you have just one chance, one opportunity to survive.
Not only will it cut out all the extraneous stuff but it will develop your spirit for bravery...
...you won't have time to retreat from a knife or sword attack, you must fearlessly advance towards those sharp points, deftly moving within centimeters of them to launch your own laser focused attack.
If you practice and develop that kind of attitude and concentration, you'll be very well prepared when you have to exercise those skills in a real life and death situation.
RJF
"Consider your opponent's hands and legs as you would sharp swords."
A lot of the martial art's techniques and styles, have evolved from historical sword fighting warfare.
In fact, I believe, if it weren't for the invention of hand guns and rifles, swords of all sizes would still be king...
...whether or not a society of sword wielding citizens would be less violent than today's gun toting one, I'm not sure...
...but it certainly wouldn't be as easy to rob or kill someone, as any coward on the street can do today.
Skill and honor has been replaced by the simple act of pointing and shooting...
...an act requiring as much skill and honor as a 10 year child possesses.
I believe, the gun has given power to the insane and uncaring elements of society...
...the very last group of people that we would want to be empowering.
Getting back to Funakoshi's principle...
...your going to have a keener sense of awareness of an attacker, if he is wielding a knife or sword.
You might have 1 or at the most 2 opportunities to finish off your attacker, so you've got to be focused and be able to deliver a fatal blow to a vulnerable area.
So, why not use that extra awareness when facing all of your opponents?
Spar and fight in Kumite as if you have just one chance, one opportunity to survive.
Not only will it cut out all the extraneous stuff but it will develop your spirit for bravery...
...you won't have time to retreat from a knife or sword attack, you must fearlessly advance towards those sharp points, deftly moving within centimeters of them to launch your own laser focused attack.
If you practice and develop that kind of attitude and concentration, you'll be very well prepared when you have to exercise those skills in a real life and death situation.
RJF
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Move according to your opponent...# 14 of Funakoshi's principles...
Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9
Move according to your opponent...
I like this quote by Bruce Lee, from the movie "Enter the Dragon"...
"A good fight should be like a small play but, played seriously. When the opponent expands, I contract. When he contracts, I expand. And when the opportunity presents itself, I do not hit. It hits all by itself."
Along with that premise is the use of minimum energy...
...Why minimum energy? Well, a skilled Kumite player can often exploit the use of excess energy and use it against his opponent.
Deflection and circular motion is more effective diverting attacks to the middle of the body than the use of hard blocks.
I mentioned this before, that the body must be relaxed...
...if it is tense or stiff, the center of balance can be influenced from any point, rather than having that energy easily diverted by means of a relaxed moving body.
In most encounters in Kumite, awareness and reaction often triumph over force and aggression.
RJF
Move according to your opponent...
I like this quote by Bruce Lee, from the movie "Enter the Dragon"...
"A good fight should be like a small play but, played seriously. When the opponent expands, I contract. When he contracts, I expand. And when the opportunity presents itself, I do not hit. It hits all by itself."
Along with that premise is the use of minimum energy...
...Why minimum energy? Well, a skilled Kumite player can often exploit the use of excess energy and use it against his opponent.
Deflection and circular motion is more effective diverting attacks to the middle of the body than the use of hard blocks.
I mentioned this before, that the body must be relaxed...
...if it is tense or stiff, the center of balance can be influenced from any point, rather than having that energy easily diverted by means of a relaxed moving body.
In most encounters in Kumite, awareness and reaction often triumph over force and aggression.
RJF
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Funakoshi's 13th principle of Karate..."Victory depends on your ability to tell vulnerable points from invulnerable ones."
Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9
Funakoshi's 13th principle of Karate..."Victory depends on your ability to tell vulnerable points from invulnerable ones."
This principle is fairly self explanatory...
...a good example is a young supple tree, maybe a few years old compared to an old oak tree.
In a stiff wind, the young flexible tree will bend almost in half and will bounce back into shape after the wind has subsided...
...conversely, a very old tree with hardened and stiff branches will break and splinter against the might of the wind.
In Kumite, you must become like the young tree, fluid and ever bending in response to an attack, and always trying not to tighten up and becoming stiff like an old tree.
The harder you are when you get hit, the more the damage that will be inflicted on you.
Of course, martial artists are well trained in the vulnerabilities of the human body...
...knowing full well that an attack on those sensitive areas will result in severe permanent damage or even death.
It may be necessary to use lethal force on someone who is attacking you or your family on the streets...
...but it should never to be used in Kumite or in tournaments.
Sometimes it requires a judgment or an assessment of a situation...as an example, do you really want to be responsible for blinding some drunk with a spear hand shot to the eyes in a bar, who made some rude comments to your wife...or would it be better to simply kick his knee out with a roundhouse kick or a hard thrust kick?...
...sure he's going to need surgery to repair his knee, but at least he'll have his eyesight...
The martial artist has a responsibility to use his skills wisely...
...and part of that wisdom is to win, or at least to hold his own in a physical confrontation.
Knowing what areas to attack are crucial for ending an altercation early...
...so make sure you practice hitting those areas in your training...
...that will ensure that you can hit them, when you absolutely need too...
RJF
Funakoshi's 13th principle of Karate..."Victory depends on your ability to tell vulnerable points from invulnerable ones."
This principle is fairly self explanatory...
...a good example is a young supple tree, maybe a few years old compared to an old oak tree.
In a stiff wind, the young flexible tree will bend almost in half and will bounce back into shape after the wind has subsided...
...conversely, a very old tree with hardened and stiff branches will break and splinter against the might of the wind.
In Kumite, you must become like the young tree, fluid and ever bending in response to an attack, and always trying not to tighten up and becoming stiff like an old tree.
The harder you are when you get hit, the more the damage that will be inflicted on you.
Of course, martial artists are well trained in the vulnerabilities of the human body...
...knowing full well that an attack on those sensitive areas will result in severe permanent damage or even death.
It may be necessary to use lethal force on someone who is attacking you or your family on the streets...
...but it should never to be used in Kumite or in tournaments.
Sometimes it requires a judgment or an assessment of a situation...as an example, do you really want to be responsible for blinding some drunk with a spear hand shot to the eyes in a bar, who made some rude comments to your wife...or would it be better to simply kick his knee out with a roundhouse kick or a hard thrust kick?...
...sure he's going to need surgery to repair his knee, but at least he'll have his eyesight...
The martial artist has a responsibility to use his skills wisely...
...and part of that wisdom is to win, or at least to hold his own in a physical confrontation.
Knowing what areas to attack are crucial for ending an altercation early...
...so make sure you practice hitting those areas in your training...
...that will ensure that you can hit them, when you absolutely need too...
RJF
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
"Do not think you have to win. Think, rather, that you do not have to lose...the 12th principle by Funakoshi"...
Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9
"Do not think you have to win. Think, rather, that you do not have to lose."
Harriet Woods said,
"You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims."
Marian Wright Edelman said,
"You're not obligated to win. You're obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day."
Marie Ebner von Eschenbach said,
"Conquer, but don't triumph."
Vince Lombardi said,
"Winning isn't everything, but the will to win is everything."
Ralph Waldo Emerson said,
"Win as if you were used to it, lose as if you enjoyed it for a change."
Albert Gray said,
"Winners have simply formed the habit of doing things losers don't like to do."
Having to win, I believe, will put you at a disadvantage, mentally, against someone who is like Funakoshi says, is trying not to lose.
That slight difference in thinking is all that is needed to affect an outcome.
infinitesimalismal second of opportunity, or space in time, can determine in a life and death struggle who lives and who dies.
In competition the winner is declared almost after the first or second encounter with their opponent...
...only ones strength of spirit determines who relinquishes to defeat and the one who does not.
It's the mental part of Kumite and I believe it's more important than the physical...
...make sure you train them both...
RJF
"Do not think you have to win. Think, rather, that you do not have to lose."
Harriet Woods said,
"You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims."
Marian Wright Edelman said,
"You're not obligated to win. You're obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day."
Marie Ebner von Eschenbach said,
"Conquer, but don't triumph."
Vince Lombardi said,
"Winning isn't everything, but the will to win is everything."
Ralph Waldo Emerson said,
"Win as if you were used to it, lose as if you enjoyed it for a change."
Albert Gray said,
"Winners have simply formed the habit of doing things losers don't like to do."
Having to win, I believe, will put you at a disadvantage, mentally, against someone who is like Funakoshi says, is trying not to lose.
That slight difference in thinking is all that is needed to affect an outcome.
infinitesimalismal second of opportunity, or space in time, can determine in a life and death struggle who lives and who dies.
In competition the winner is declared almost after the first or second encounter with their opponent...
...only ones strength of spirit determines who relinquishes to defeat and the one who does not.
It's the mental part of Kumite and I believe it's more important than the physical...
...make sure you train them both...
RJF
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Karate is just like hot water. If you do not give heat constantly, it will again become cold water...Funakoshi's 11th principle...
Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9
"Karate is just like hot water. If you do not give heat constantly, it will again become cold water."
I believe, Funakoshi was talking about perseverance...
...and continually practicing and improving ones karate skills...
... always seeking perfection, knowing full well that one will never reach that perceived perfection.
Here's some awe inspiring quotes about perseverance...
"“As in the case of making a mound, if, before the very last basketful, I stop, then I shall have stopped. As in the case of leveling the ground, if, though tipping only one basketful, I am going forward, then I shall be making progress."
~ Confucius
"“He who labors diligently need never despair; for all things are accomplished by diligence and labor."”
~ Menander
"Persistence prevails, like a stream that is temporarily blocked by boulders and then collects force enough to overflow onward."
~ Vernon Howard
"“Victory belongs to the most persevering."
~ Napoleon Bonaparte
"“When I have finally decided that a result is worth getting, I go ahead on it and make trial after trial until it comes."
~ Thomas Edison
Once Karate or the martial arts gets ahold of you, it will never let you go...
...you can stop your practice for a while maybe even for years, but you'd be better off continuing and persevering, even if it doesn't feel right to you at the moment.
Because sooner or later, you will either regret your actions or you will be pleased with your perseverance...
...just like in mindfullness meditation, by continually coming back to your breath you'll build mental strength, so should your karate through continual practice build physical and spiritual strength.
RJF
"Karate is just like hot water. If you do not give heat constantly, it will again become cold water."
I believe, Funakoshi was talking about perseverance...
...and continually practicing and improving ones karate skills...
... always seeking perfection, knowing full well that one will never reach that perceived perfection.
Here's some awe inspiring quotes about perseverance...
"“As in the case of making a mound, if, before the very last basketful, I stop, then I shall have stopped. As in the case of leveling the ground, if, though tipping only one basketful, I am going forward, then I shall be making progress."
~ Confucius
"“He who labors diligently need never despair; for all things are accomplished by diligence and labor."”
~ Menander
"Persistence prevails, like a stream that is temporarily blocked by boulders and then collects force enough to overflow onward."
~ Vernon Howard
"“Victory belongs to the most persevering."
~ Napoleon Bonaparte
"“When I have finally decided that a result is worth getting, I go ahead on it and make trial after trial until it comes."
~ Thomas Edison
Once Karate or the martial arts gets ahold of you, it will never let you go...
...you can stop your practice for a while maybe even for years, but you'd be better off continuing and persevering, even if it doesn't feel right to you at the moment.
Because sooner or later, you will either regret your actions or you will be pleased with your perseverance...
...just like in mindfullness meditation, by continually coming back to your breath you'll build mental strength, so should your karate through continual practice build physical and spiritual strength.
RJF
Monday, May 01, 2006
Karate-size everything...Funakoshi's 10th principle of Karate...
Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9
Karate-size everything...
I believe a Karate-ka has to have Karate and its principles fore front in ones mind as often as possible.
If practiced like that, the Karate-ka will have an easier time of getting through the easy and tough times that life presents them with.
Karate builds character and self esteem and teaches respect and tolerance of others who may have different beliefs and doctrines...
...even if that respect is not reciprocated by closed minded and self serving religious practictioners, is that of any concern to the Karate-ka.
Karate-ka are not interested in spreading religious dogma to the world, they simply respond to the solicitations of the world and act accordingly.
To Karate-ize everything means not to be offended when hypocritical evangelicals denounce their practices as perpetuating violence in the world.
To Karate-ize everything means to understand the violence being perpetrated to the earth each and everyday through commerce and corporate greed...
...by companies who's CEO's steadfastly appear in church each Sunday to proudly wallow in a doctrine which in reality they completely contradict.
A Karate-ka practices respect, not just giving lip service to it, but making it an integral part of their life.
Karate-ka make their minds and bodies strong, develop concentration, power and focus and use those skills to manage their affairs with effectiveness and purpose.
The people who publicly decry the learning of how to severely injure or kill another human being, are the very same hypocrite's who stand firmly behind a government and it's policies, which use even more vilolent methods to kill innocent civilians through military intervention, all for its own self serving interests.
To Karate-ize everything means to stand up and defend the weak, and to speak out about human and the worlds degradation.
People can only accomplish this from a position of power, brought about by the development of discipline, self-awareness, respect and knowledge through countless hours of dedication spent in the Dojo...
...and in the world.
RJF
Karate-size everything...
I believe a Karate-ka has to have Karate and its principles fore front in ones mind as often as possible.
If practiced like that, the Karate-ka will have an easier time of getting through the easy and tough times that life presents them with.
Karate builds character and self esteem and teaches respect and tolerance of others who may have different beliefs and doctrines...
...even if that respect is not reciprocated by closed minded and self serving religious practictioners, is that of any concern to the Karate-ka.
Karate-ka are not interested in spreading religious dogma to the world, they simply respond to the solicitations of the world and act accordingly.
To Karate-ize everything means not to be offended when hypocritical evangelicals denounce their practices as perpetuating violence in the world.
To Karate-ize everything means to understand the violence being perpetrated to the earth each and everyday through commerce and corporate greed...
...by companies who's CEO's steadfastly appear in church each Sunday to proudly wallow in a doctrine which in reality they completely contradict.
A Karate-ka practices respect, not just giving lip service to it, but making it an integral part of their life.
Karate-ka make their minds and bodies strong, develop concentration, power and focus and use those skills to manage their affairs with effectiveness and purpose.
The people who publicly decry the learning of how to severely injure or kill another human being, are the very same hypocrite's who stand firmly behind a government and it's policies, which use even more vilolent methods to kill innocent civilians through military intervention, all for its own self serving interests.
To Karate-ize everything means to stand up and defend the weak, and to speak out about human and the worlds degradation.
People can only accomplish this from a position of power, brought about by the development of discipline, self-awareness, respect and knowledge through countless hours of dedication spent in the Dojo...
...and in the world.
RJF
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