Posted by Jesse in Archive, Karate on 08. Mar, 2010 | 2 Comments
Today I felt creative.
So, for this post I decided I would get me a notebook, and a pen… and then dig deep into my memory for that last bit of geometry and math that I once learned in school.
Add some Karate to that… and you end up with the following ten “pieces”:
(click below for full [...]
There are some pretty fun words and phrases out there.
For example, in German they have the word horribly long word ‘handschuhschneeballwerfer’, which means somebody who wears gloves to throw snow balls. It is used in general to mean a coward.
And in Tierra del Fuego they have ‘mamihlapinatapai’. It means ‘two people looking at each [...]
Sometimes you learn the most valuable lessons in the most unexpected situations.
In driving school for instance.
At least I did.
Let me tell you.
Lesson #1:
I was driving along with my driving supervisor (a nice lady) on a long, narrow deserted road in the middle of nowhere.
It was early autumn, and the nature surrounding us was basically brown [...]
(This is part 2 of ‘The Mysterious Martial Monk’. If you haven’t read part 1, you really should)
The exercise program developed by our favorite monk was a success.
His fellow monks and disciples became completely transformed. From weaklings to, well not strongmen exactly, but more fit.
But something still wasn’t right.
Our monk felt that maybe he had [...]
A long, long time ago, in a land far, far away, there lived a boy who – like most boys at some part of their lives – wasn’t completely satisfied with himself.
The time was early 5th century, and the land was what we today would call southern India, Chennai. However, at that time the area [...]
Posted by Jesse in Archive, Karate on 20. Feb, 2010 | 5 Comments
For a few weeks now I’ve been coaching a local female soccer team in “martial arts conditioning”.
In other words, we’ve basically been doing sweaty physical exercises coupled with some kicks and punches (mainly focusing on core and legs, since it’s supposed to help their soccer skills) in order to enhance their overall physical fitness.
Not to [...]
Posted by Jesse in Archive, Karate on 16. Feb, 2010 | 1 Comment
Do you incorporate strength training in your Karate?
You should.
Being strong is a prerequisite for many things, including speed, explosiveness and flexibility, and since many people don’t have time to strengthen their bodies in their spare time, doing it in Karate class is really practical.
It doesn’t have to be much though, maybe just 10-20 minutes. Training [...]
Posted by Jesse in Archive, Things Japanese on 13. Feb, 2010 | 6 Comments
Practising Karate it is unavoidable that one must use the Japanese language to some extent.
Rei, Hajime, Yoi, Yame… the list goes on.
We all use it.
Because it’s practical and it sets us apart from other, more modern, martial arts.
But what about writing Japanese?
Shouldn’t we be able to write some too?
I sometimes teach people to write their [...]
Posted by Jesse in Archive, History & Philosophy on 09. Feb, 2010 | 10 Comments
Two weeks ago I taught a Karate class for kids.
(Of course I do that every week, but two weeks ago something special happened.)
It’s always fun to teach kids because they are not afraid of expressing their thoughts and ideas quite freely, and this training was no exception.
Towards the end of the session, with about 15 [...]
Posted by Jesse in Archive, Things Japanese on 06. Feb, 2010 | 8 Comments
If you ever plan on travelling to Okinawa (or Japan in general) to study Karate, remember to take notes.
It doesn’t have to be anything serious though, a small notebook will do.
Why?
Because those notes are very interesting to read a few months after you come home!
Aah… the memories…
Anyway, as you’ve probably figured out, I have [...]
