general training

I’m back. For those who did not read my last post, I spent last weekend at a national seminar and I have returned, full to the brim with ideas and material to work on. I was surrounded by a wonderful group of knowledgeable and generous martial artists and I am hopeful that some of those … Read more

In a practice session a couple of weeks ago, I chose one of our seemingly easiest katas and gave it a lot more time than I would have normally. Initially I chose this “simple” kata so that I could focus on “other things” like breathing, flow, and footwork. The hand motions are not complicated which … Read more

If you are anything like me, you probably suffer from at least an occasional case of CRS; “Can’t Remember S – – t.” And, often as not, when you realize you don’t remember something, you either get help remembering or move on to other things. Take movie actors for example. My wife and I will … Read more

Last week I was reading a blog by Jesse Enkamp (Karate by Jesse) that discussed the differences between practical and artistic approaches to kata. Although I don’t agree with his entire premise, the post is a good read and it ends with a video of Luca Valdesi competing in the kata portion of an international tournament. … Read more