In traditional Japanese and Okinawan martial arts the terms Karate-Do and Karate-Jitsu are often used interchangeably and sometimes incorrectly. The emphasis of Karate-Do is on self-perfection and developing character, honor and integrity of the participant, the old “it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game that counts”. Karate-Jitsu on…

In our “fast food” society we often don’t remember or appreciate the lessons of the past. We tend to flit to the newest rage, trend or video game without much thought as to what has come before. In the martial arts world we pay homage to the traditions and the masters of the past. We…

Until World War II, the phrase Yamato- Damashii (also spelled Tamashii) was used to identify spiritual qualities supposedly unique to the Japanese people. These qualities included moral fortitude, courage, sincerity, devotion and an unswerving success oriented attitude. Originally, taken from the Chinese school of thought, the concept was based on unquestionable loyalty to emperor and…

The foundation of modern martial arts stems from deep-rooted Chinese theories and philosophies. Some of the more well-known are the yin-yang theory, the 5-element theory, the 8 primary angles of attack, and the 18 postures. Like the child’s game of rock, scissors and paper, each of these theories has an effect on the other and…

Over the last several weeks I’ve had conversations with a number of people about why they train and why I continue to train and teach into my 6th decade of martial arts training. Here are some thoughts. All the discussion started to make me question my own motivations. Why do I do what I do?…