Self-Defense
Parents Want Karate to Teach Valuable Lessons
I have learned what parents want karate to teach their kids. Several things come up repeatedly. The good news is that their expectations are very realistic if their child trains in traditional Okinawan karate regularly and consistently.
Read MoreKarate For Girls and its Benefits
The benefits and offerings of traditional Okinawan karate apply to all genders and ages. However, I can speak from the female point of view when I say that karate for girls is exceptionally powerful. My first exposure to martial arts was a recreation center’s aikido class. Then I started ongoing training as a young woman…
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 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 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 MoreKarate Builds Self Defense Abilities
All traditional Okinawan karate builds self defense abilities in many ways. Karate in the way we train at our dojo teaches a high level of self defense. With skill, that expands into life protection. Meaning you can protect others as well as your self. We teach those skills in both adults’ classes and kids’ classes.…
Read MoreTraditional Martial Arts vs. Sport Karate
Originally, and I mean way back, traditional martial arts took their place as the only fighting art. Their usefulness had to do with protecting one’s self, family and community. The martial arts evolved into art forms for people to learn a tradition of life protection while improving their lives. More recently, some martial arts branched…
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