Martial Arts
Traditional Okinawan Weapons
In our weekly Okinawan weapons classes, we train in more standard martial arts weapons. United Ryukyu Kempo Alliance camps allow for a wider variety of black belt instructors. That opens up workshops in more of the traditional weapons for training. OKINAWAN WEAPONS FOR BEGINNERS At our dojo, all students need to learn some bo techniques…
Read MoreGround Fighting at Our Dojo
Our dojo offers ground fighting classes as enrichment to training. Not all traditional karate schools do. However, rolls, falls and take downs were part of many ancient Okinawan styles. We continue to preserve some of these basics in our curriculum of karate classes. Plus, many of our students appreciate rounding out their training with the…
Read MoreBogu Kumite Sparring for Self Defense
Bogu kumite are Japanese words describing the type of full contact sparring studied by the United Ryukyu Kempo Alliance. Bogu is talking about armor, it’s made up of the words bo: protect, and gu: equipment. If you are going to participate in full contact sparring, it is vital to wear the right protective gear. Kumite…
Read MoreSparring Light Contact: Why do We do it?
Our dojo inherited our light contact sparring from our Kobayashi Shorin Ryu roots. The main targets are the side of the head, chest, abdomen and sides of the body above the belt. In this activity, we just touch with our strikes – both punches and kicks. Therefore, chest guards are not needed. Both partners wear helmets,…
Read MorePartner Drills for Self Defense
At East Valley Martial Arts, we practice many different partner drills to build self defense skills. I would like to share many of them here and how they improve defense abilities. A big safety layer at our school is competent supervision. In other words, do not try this on your own. You are liable for…
Read MoreAZ Spring Karate Camp Favorites
The Spring Karate Camp that we host is definitely one of our dojo’s annual highlights. There is just so much to love! Practitioners from high rank black belts to beginners who just started training find things to love (a lot of karate parent helpers and observers agree as well). The online buzz about our event…
Read MoreA Variety of Partners for Self Defense
Having a variety of partners for self defense training in karate is a benefit. Many people want the perfect training partner. And they want to train only with that person. But that’s not a good idea as I said in this article. I’ve seen that fleeting look in people’s eyes when they are paired off…
Read MorePhysical Fitness and Stamina thru Karate
Karate is a great way to improve physical fitness and stamina. Its many payoffs include a lot of health improvement. This article from Health Fitness Revolution mentions 10 martial arts health benefits. Half of their 10 benefits relate to physical fitness and stamina. Those are: total body workout, improved cardiovascular health, weight loss, improved reflexes and muscle tone. At…
Read MoreBuilding Awareness of Surroundings
The physical training of karate has many benefits. Awareness of surroundings is important for self defense. That is the ability to move around and among people and objects. And for martial artists that includes doing techniques in crowded or unusual places. AWARENESS OF SURROUNDINGS AND PEOPLE A basic level of awareness of surroundings and people…
Read MoreSpatial Awareness in Karate
Karate and other martial arts help the practitioner improve many physical skills. Martial artists improve their awareness of how their body moves in relation to objects and other people. Their own body motions become more smooth and fluid. In addition, our style of Ryukyu Kempo helps students learn more about natural body motion. They apply…
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