Practical Use of Sai
We use the sai to train practical self-defense.
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Okinawa
From Appomattox to Okinawa
“… He habitually wears an expression as if he had determined to drive his head through a brick wall, and was about to do it.
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What Sakiyama Saw
In these three articles I tried to convey something of what was exchanged between myself and influential Okinawan Zen priest and karate master Sakiyama Sogen, Roshi: True Karate Do His translation into Japanese, and distribution to the karate community on Okinawa, of my vision of the potential of dojo practice… Sakiyama Sogen’s Last Letter His
Self-defense vs. Protection Rackets
Kids need love and protection. They may wander off. They may get frightened or hurt. They want someone who can do protect them. Families do that. Part of growing up is the transition from wanting protection to providing it. As a teenager you learn to look out for yourself. You take care of your body, your dignity,
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Sakiyama Sogen’s Last Letter
“The final hurdle for us is to be free from the limitations of our own ego. The disease of modern people is that they are slaves to money, power, fame, etc. They are enslaved by their own egos, and are unaware of it. You will become a true master when you become aware of it, and become free of it. There is no easy way, but it is the most important task, one worth devoting one’s life to accomplishing. This is the central task for anyone trying to master a true martial art.
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The Okinawan Secret
Okinawans live longer than any other people in the world. Why? A team of medical researchers collected data for twenty-five years on the island to find out. Karate comes from the island of Okinawa Karate is Okinawa’s most famous export. But the Okinawan secrets of longevity might be even more popular, if more people knew about them.
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Matsumora’s Grasp
空手に先手なし ‘There is no first attack in karate’ means that we respond when the cause is just and the need is present. People think that Gichin Funakoshi used the “no first attack” idea to communicate to non-Okinawans that his karate was a cultivated art, for cultivated people. The presumption was that karate and other arts from
Rope in the Ocean
In the fifth month of the year on Okinawa the typhoons begin. The Okinawans found it wise to stay off the water. There was plenty to do at home. They made new ropes for the rigging on their ships. They repaired their fishing nets. They celebrated. Their year was full of festivals. Everyone got together