Monday, February 18, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
So you just started taking karate...
Now what? Your classes consist of hand techniques, blocks, and kicks. Throw in a dash of self defense, play a skills game, and maybe have a life lesson delivered to you in a brief lecture. What can you do to improve your training outside of the dojo?
Like anything in life practice makes perfect. There are no short cuts or abbreviated versions of karate. Everyone must put in the same amount of time to reach the same points as others have before them. Some take longer to get there and that's okay, the only person you are racing against is yourself. I had one student say that another student was 'lucky' for receiving their yellow belt. 'Luck' has nothing to do with it; time, demonstration of skills, and working on self-improvement is how this student achieved yellow belt.
What you practice is up to you. You make the choices everyday to be better than you were yesterday. If your punch is not as powerful as the black belt in front of you, practice it. If your roundhouse kick isn't as high as the student next to you, practice. If your focus is a little fuzzy and your confidence is wavering, practice. No one can give you the skills you need to improve, only you can push yourself beyond.
The first step is self-awareness. When you become more aware of yourself and your abilities, the better you come into focus. By admitting where you need work, you just gave yourself a starting line. People who fail at something are people who tried. If you never try something then you will never risk failure, but on the other hand, you will never taste success.
Karate is an excellent method in which to learn more about how you can improve. With each belt and each added layer of material increasing in difficulty, you can see where you started, how far you have come, and how much further you have to go. BE PATIENT with yourself! This is what OSU means. Remember each time you fail, you tried and each time you progress you succeed. Draw from the energy in the dojo and carry it with you when you are outside of it.
Osu!
Like anything in life practice makes perfect. There are no short cuts or abbreviated versions of karate. Everyone must put in the same amount of time to reach the same points as others have before them. Some take longer to get there and that's okay, the only person you are racing against is yourself. I had one student say that another student was 'lucky' for receiving their yellow belt. 'Luck' has nothing to do with it; time, demonstration of skills, and working on self-improvement is how this student achieved yellow belt.
What you practice is up to you. You make the choices everyday to be better than you were yesterday. If your punch is not as powerful as the black belt in front of you, practice it. If your roundhouse kick isn't as high as the student next to you, practice. If your focus is a little fuzzy and your confidence is wavering, practice. No one can give you the skills you need to improve, only you can push yourself beyond.
The first step is self-awareness. When you become more aware of yourself and your abilities, the better you come into focus. By admitting where you need work, you just gave yourself a starting line. People who fail at something are people who tried. If you never try something then you will never risk failure, but on the other hand, you will never taste success.
Karate is an excellent method in which to learn more about how you can improve. With each belt and each added layer of material increasing in difficulty, you can see where you started, how far you have come, and how much further you have to go. BE PATIENT with yourself! This is what OSU means. Remember each time you fail, you tried and each time you progress you succeed. Draw from the energy in the dojo and carry it with you when you are outside of it.
Osu!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Martial arts 101: Karate
Lesson #1: Karate is one of many styles of martial arts, but not all martial arts are karate.
Lesson #2: The word 'karate' is used today by many different styles of martial arts as a general term to describe the art; usually because it is easier to pronounce then the names of what is being taught, for example: taekwondo, ninjitsu, Kajukenbo, Danzan-Ryu, Naginatajutsu, or American Kenpo.
Lesson #3: The correct pronounciation of karate is 'kara-tay'. Karate is a distinctly Japanese form of unarmed fighting and the word karate translates to 'empty hand'. The word karate is recognized around the world as a superior form of martial art and as a result is used by many other forms of martial arts as a generalization. Those of us who do practice Japanese karate recognize this word is overused in the general sense and not being applied to the art that is actually being taught.
Lesson #4: We teach traditional Japanese-style karate at Shihan Marc's Karate Academy. What does that mean? If you are searching for a mixed martial arts program that teaches cage fighting; if you are looking to become the next Ultimate Fighter, you are looking at the wrong 'karate' school. If you are looking for a belt factory where you can buy your belt/rank and be on the 'fast track to black', this is the wrong school. If you want to learn the Japanese art of traditional Karate, delivered in English to an American audience, in a positive supportive merit-based atmosphere, search no more.
Lesson #5: Karate is built on a system of hierarchy. How can a hierarchy survive in a world where everyone wants to be the same or equal? By having a hierarchy, your commitment, your longevity, your hard work is rewarded with holding a higher rank. In a hierarchy you are required to respect those who have been training longer than you. But more importantly, this reminds you to respect yourself so you can truly respect the contributions of others.
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