What I Teach, and What I Don’t

Most modern karate schools have an emphasis on sports karate – training for tournaments.  There is nothing wrong with this.  Sports karate training, like any athletic endeavor, can improve your physical fitness, improve your overall health; your strength, balance and coordination; your confidence, mental discipline and concentration.  These are all admirable goals. 

 

It is important, however, to be aware of what you will receive in a sports karate system and what you will not.  The biggest thing missing from most sports karate schools is actual self defense, that will truly be effective if you are approached by a street thug who is attempting to rob you or rape you. 

 

If you are at a stage of your life where competing in tournaments is important for your development, I am not the teacher for you; mine is not the school you should train in.  Virtually all the techniques I teach are not allowed in competition, for the simple reason that true self-defense techniques, the type that can save your life, can be brutally dangerous and cause serious injury. These techniques are to be used only as a last resort, and the discipline to know when to use them and when not to are also part of our training.

 

If sports karate and competition are not things you are interested in, and you truly desire to learn practical, effective self defense, then I might be a good instructor for you.  All the physical, mental and emotional benefits listed above for sports karate are also benefits of training in a jutsu oriented system.  In addition, you also learn practical, effective self-defense that can save your life.

 

An old Chinese adage says:

“It is better to spend two years looking for your right instructor than two years training with the wrong one”. 

 

In my younger days, I once spent almost two years training with the wrong school.  Along the way I overlooked and ignored a number of warning signs that it wasn’t the school I should be training with, all of which slowed my progress greatly, so I can personally attest to the fact that this old Chinese adage is correct.  You should take your time and find the right school and the right instructor for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What I do teach is a very effective form of  self defense.  It is based in the Okinawan and Japanese karate forms known as Kata, and the fullness of their self-defense applications which are called Bunkai.  While kata are often overlooked or misunderstood in some schools, when properly explained they contain the most powerful and effective defense techniques we have available.

 

With this overlying emphasis on kata-based self defense, training consists of

 

- Spiritual philosophies of the Warrior Mind;  mental techniques to develop concentration, focus and personal self-control

- Core energy training; while not a substitute for training in Tai Chi or Qigong (which I also teach, by the way), energy building techniques are included in every class.

- Fundamental development of karate basics, or Kihon, such as kicking, punching, blocking, striking, moving and stances

- Kata Study.  Learning to perform the traditional forms and their Bunkai, or defensive applications

- Two person self defense drills, based on the kata, which are derived from the traditional Tegumi drills

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In addition to Traditional Karate, I teach Qigong; women's self-defense seminars; and a series of bunkai-based self defense seminars aimed at instructors and advanced students. I am available to travel throughout the Western US and Canada.

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