Karate Training: Why I Love It
I began karate as an adult in March of 1999, and loved karate training from day one. Like me, adult students appreciate a lot about being active in a dojo. Now I am a co-head-instructor at our medium-sized, traditional Okinawan dojo. My title is Renshi, and so is my husband’s. With that title we are also…
Read MoreKarate Parent Mistakes: Top 5
A karate parent is a parent with a minor child or children in a karate program. Karate parents are integral to any good dojo. Their children need their support to reap the benefits of kids karate. These loyal adult sponsors can be shining stars, lending their brilliance to any traditional dojo. And they can sometimes…
Read MoreKids’ Karate Mistakes – Top 5
Okay, children, it’s your turn to find out the top 5 kids’ karate mistakes in training. I’m not picking on anyone here. I’m sharing the knowledge from my years of experience as a karate instructor, student, and karate parent. This is in the hopes that we can learn from other’s missteps, grow our wisdom, and…
Read MoreKarate Student Training Mistakes: Top 5
In over 19 years of intensive involvement in our dojo, I have seen patterns develop in adult student training missteps. On the plus side, I have also seen patterns in the things that adult students appreciate about karate. This article is geared mainly to adult students. Kids and karate parents will get their turn in…
Read MoreVeggies Please! How to Increase Vegetables
Okinawan elders live longer, more physically active lives well into old age. And later they spend less years in nursing homes at the end of life. One of the things that helps them keep robust physical health is their diet. And the most obvious difference in nutrition? Okinawans traditionally eat a lot more veggies than…
Read MoreBully Prevention Smarts
I believe that there is no better bully prevention for kids than being a part of a dedicated, supportive traditional Okinawan karate dojo, such as East Valley Martial Arts. Over many years, I have seen our child students successfully put on the armor of confidence, respect, humbleness and pride. Not to mention fighting spirit. These…
Read MorePersonal Safety Tips: Top 5
I started out writing about women’s self defense tips. Then I realized that men can benefit from using my top five personal safety tips as well. Women tend to be the smaller and thus weaker of the species just due to physics. That is why our dojo offers periodic women’s self defense classes. But any…
Read MoreVegetables of Okinawa: Top 10
The traditional Okinawan diet had over seven times more vegetables than the modern American diet. Why does this matter? Many tout the diet of elders in Okinawa as one of the main reasons they live active, healthy lives to over 100 years old. The biggest difference in nutrition? Okinawans traditionally fill up on vegetables (instead…
Read MoreFunny Martial Arts Video Scenes
For a little light reading and viewing, I’d like to share some of my favorite martial arts video clips. People around me and I myself sometimes quote some of these lines. This may be to lighten the mood, or to make a point. JIM CARREY SELF DEFENSE VIDEO Here’s a link to the longest clip…
Read MoreSummer Camp: 5 Favorite Memories
I unexpectedly saw one of our black belts at the beginning of summer and our conversation turned toward Summer Camp. We naturally spoke of our travel experiences to headquarters, both recent and in years past. We have been fortunate – or as some people put it, we have made the sacrifice – to attend so…
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