Archive for March 2020

“It is not so much what you believe in that matters, it’s more the way in which you believe it and proceed to translate that belief into action.” – Lin Yutang (1895-1976, Chinese Author) The Samurai listed seven virtues of Bushido or “the way of the warrior.” One of those virtues is “Yu” or courage…

The Japanese word for showing respect is “rei” and the bow is the method of greeting one another and showing respect throughout Asia. Many Americans are confused about when, where and how to bow in and around the dojo but seem to pick it up pretty quickly. I guess it’s like the military, when in…

The kanji for “kuzushi” actually translates as “to demolish” but in martial arts terms it takes on the ideal of first breaking the opponents balance, and then finishing him off. Warriors learned early on to never attack a superior force head on but found ways to distract their opponents or even attack from another direction…

One important concept taught in classical martial arts is how to use the opposite hand when performing a karate technique. The use of the other hand when executing a karate technique is usually divided into soide (the following hand) and hikite (the retreating hand). This week we will discuss hikite or the retreating hand. Many…

In defining what is the most important element leading to success, in any endeavor, you would be hard pressed to find anything more important than attitude. Today we will discuss the basic principles of developing, maintaining, and demonstrating the proper attitude in order to shorten the process of goal attainment. In Japanese, the word for…