The makiwara is a cornerstone for the martial artist. Famous Okinawan karate masters used to say that a dojo without a makiwara is not a dojo. Although sometimes misunderstood, the main purpose of makiwara training is not to build calluses on one’s knuckles and “toughen” one’s fists. Rather, the main purpose of makiwara training is […]
For a martial arts instructor, seeing students in our dojo grow and develop in the martial arts, and improve both as martial artists and as human beings, is one of the most satisfying experiences. Congratulations on the effort you put in, and on earning your new ranks! Ken: High Green Belt — rank of Yonkyu
It was great to have Sensei Ophira Bergman visit our dojo in Carmel Valley on Thursday, and share some of her vast knowledge of Ryuei-Ryu Okinawan Karate. The Unique Origins of Ryuei-Ryu Okinawan Karate Ryuei-Ryu is a very interesting style of Okinawan Karate. It was founded in the mid 1800’s by Norisato Nakaima (aka Kenri
We had a great time yesterday celebrating the dojo’s two year anniversary teaching martial arts in San Diego / Carmel Valley. with a special training and a tasty dinner. My thanks to the students. It is YOU who make our dojo a thriving family! It is YOU who are responsible for creating the collaborative and
Carmel Valley Dojo Anniversary Celebration, 2014 Read More »
Many thank to Sensie Louis Jemison, Sensei Paul Billimoria and Sensei Jeff Day for the excellent martial arts camp at Mono Hot Springs in the California Sierra Nevada mountains this weekend! Especially notable were the qigong and standing mediation training, the combative partner work training and the eskrima stick training. It was instrumental to see
Recently, a student at our San Diego dojo asked me: ”I read somewhere that the Naihanchi katas, by themselves, teach one how to defend themselves. In other words, if one knew the Naihanchi katas, they would automatically be able to defend themselves. Is that true? Asked differently: is there one kata or a set of techniques
The Road to Mastering Martial Arts and Self Defense Read More »
Getting to know rudimentary Japanese is one of the rights of passage that comes with training in Okinawan karate. Here are some tips on how to count to ten in Japanese. Practice a little, and in no time you will be counting like a native! Number Japanese Pronunciation tip 1 ichi The “i” is pronounced
As we know, one fundamental premise distinguishing practical martial arts such as Okinawan Karate, Kuntau, Silat and the like from combative sports such as MMA, boxing, BJJ and Muay Thai, is the targeting of vital targets. For example, Okinawan Karate constantly utilizes eye gouges, hits to the throat, to pressure points, and, of course, to
It was a pleasure to see the fruits of the hard work at the belt test last night! There was some excellent martial arts on display! Very nice improvements on the topics we studied over the last few months: from ground techniques to stand-up techniques; from Okinawan karate kata, to eskrima sticks and knife skills
