Karate Nobody

Hello hello. Seems fitting to start with an entry about myself and what this blog is for. I’ve been training in the martial arts (specifically one art) for 30 years starting from the time I was a very young child. It’s been a constant in my life and remains one of my passions. But within the karate world I’m not really anyone special. I’m not part of an organization. I’m not a champion competitor. I don’t own a dojo and I’m not in demand on the seminar circuit. I’ve never written a book or made a DVD of my fighting methods. I don’t have my own line of karate gi. No ancient scrolls either. A trip to Okinawa is still just a line on my bucket list. I’ve risen to the rank of Sandan, 3 rd degree black belt, which is… if not a low rank, not a particularly high one. I’ve had some great experiences dabbling in other martial arts, and intend to keep doing so, but my through-line has been Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate-Do. It is the art that made me, the one that fits me best, and where I move ...

I think there is a valid argument in holding back knowledge from a student, especially in the context of the martial arts. There are advanced techniques – some of which may hurt the student (looking at you nunchaku ) and some of which the student could use to seriously hurt others – that require a certain maturity in the student. I’ve written before about the short and brutal Core Bunkai , most of which end with twisting the neck to wrenching the head. Those techniques are serious and I would reserve them for a serious student that has the right mentality about them. I’ll also point out that many Okinawan styles rely on closing and grabbing, something which requires a high level of skill in and of itself regardless of any follow-on techniques. There’s a good chance a novice wouldn’t even be able to apply certain advanced techniques successfully even if they did “learn” them. So controlling some knowledge is part of being a Sensei, as is determining when a student is ready for more. T...