Posts Tagged ‘Karate’
Kung Fu Panda Messages
Kung Fu Panda came out ten years ago. This well-made movie has artistic animation, and whimsical lines and action. It has wise messages that still ring true in karate. KUNG FU PANDA SECRET INGREDIENT Toward the end of the movie a great fight scene takes place. Kung Fu Panda fights the bad guy, Tai Lung,…
Read MoreTODE SAKUGAWA: FATHER OF KARATE
(Kanga “Tode”) Sakugawa lived from 1733 to 1815. Tode Sakugawa was known in his youth as Kanga Sakugawa. He was an Okinawan martial artist and greatly contributed to the evolution of karate, or “Tode,” as it was known at the time. He studied under at least two separate masters: Takahara Peichin and Kusanku. Oral tradition…
Read MoreGeneric American Martial Arts
By Jenifer Tull-Gauger A thoughtful friend posed this on our Facebook page: I would like someone like the Tull-Gaugers to develop an “American Martial Arts” – a generic Kung Fu or Karate that all Americans could know and practice at school or home. My response: I agree that people need to take responsibility in learning…
Read MoreCHARACTER INFLUENCES
By Jenifer Tull-Gauger Dojo Kun #1 is more literally translated from Japanese as “It is important to use perseverance in the completion of human standards.” The Dojo Kun goes on to talk about the virtues of honesty, perseverance, respect and restraint. Some say those are the human standards or moral character traits referred to in…
Read MorePRE-CLASS ROUTINE
By Jenifer Tull-Gauger Renshi My blogs and newsletter articles often cover the importance of attending class regularly and the etiquette to use when attending. Let’s take that a step further. I recently learned how helpful a pre-class routine can be. Putting specific habits to use before you even leave for the dojo is particularly useful…
Read MoreFred McCready Learns to Say Yes
by Jenifer Tull-Gauger Fred, like you and me, wanted to be good and yet he was a flawed human. He had learned as a kid to just go along with things, to not rock the boat. When asked if he wanted a drink of water, he’d mumble a reply, “yeah” or “nah.” Sometimes he’d be…
Read MoreKarate? Ha HA HAA!
By Jenifer Tull-Gauger Shihan, 4th Dan Once, a friend of mine tried our week-long Karate Intro Program. We’ll call her Mary. At a young 60 years old she did fine. I never know what to expect when a student steps on the mat for the first time at East Valley Martial Arts – Kenshin Kan. …
Read MoreSensing Danger
For a martial artist, it may not always be a strict sixth sense that gives a gut-feeling warning. It may be small, barely detectable signs like an opponent’s body language or facial expression, a voice inflection, or a sound that tells of imminent danger. Since martial artists deal mostly with people and how they may…
Read MoreSERENITY
By Jenifer Tull-Gauger Shihan, 4th Dan Serenity is the state of being serene, calm, tranquil or peaceful. As the 12-step quote says: it is accepting the things you cannot change. One of our instructors requested serenity for our focus of the month. As a yogi, I associate serenity with Yoga, but is this really a…
Read MoreFORGET NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS, LET’S SET OUR GOALS!
Have you ever made a To Do list and then followed through on the tasks, crossing them out as you went? Didn’t that feel great? That is a very small portion of the positive feeling you will get when you have a life goal…
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