Posts Tagged ‘traditional Okinawan karate’
U.R.K.A. Summer Camp Favorites
The biggest event of the year for the United Ryukyu Kempo Alliance is the Summer Camp at the Headquarters dojo. I attended the U.R.K.A. Summer Camp for the first time in 2002 and I was totally impressed. Here are my top five favorite things about it. U.R.K.A. Summer Camp and Camaraderie The people, the brotherhood…
Read MoreWhat We Value at our Dojo
I recently started listing out what we value at our dojo. It’s because I was thinking of Sei Shōnagon. She was a writer who lived in service to Japanese royalty. Even though Sei Shōnagon died nearly a thousand years ago, we can get an idea of her personality, intellect, life and values due to her…
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 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…
Read MoreTraditions for a Dojo New Year
The New Year in Japan is a time of renewal and celebration, just like in other countries. At our dojo, we enjoy special traditions for entering a dojo new year together. Our traditions come from Japanese culture and martial arts. LAST CLASS BEFORE A DOJO NEW YEAR One way that we celebrate a dojo new…
Read MoreLittle Dragons Holiday Dojo Kun
In December I once had only one five-year-old show up for a karate class. That was when he came up with the idea of a special Little Dragons Holiday Dojo Kun. I’ve mentioned this hard-working student, Payton, before in a blog. That December day, since Payton was the only student, we had more conversation than…
Read More