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Ten Martial Arts Tips for Jump-Starting Your New Year

As the holidays are winding down and the New Year rolls around, here are ten martial arts tips to give you a jump-start on the New Year by helping boost your energy, increase your fitness level, improve your self-defense skills and sharpen your martial arts resolve:

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how-to-build-a-makiwara-schematics

How to Build a Makiwara

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

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New Martial Arts Belt Ranks, December 2014

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

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Carmel Valley / San Diego Martial Arts dojo Anniversary, 2014

Carmel Valley Dojo Anniversary Celebration, 2014

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

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Mono Hot Springs Martial-Arts Camp 2014

Martial Arts Camp at Mono Hot Springs, 2014

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

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Kanei Uechi, son of Uechi-Ryu founder Kanbum Uechi, performing Sanchin kata

The Road to Mastering Martial Arts and Self Defense

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

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