It's Sad Really

There's a lot of lip service that gets paid to kata practice, but even in the traditional karate circles I'm not sure how much attention it truly gets. It's sad really. The facade of kata practice.

Good News and a Deadline

I wasn't able to say so before, because I hadn't told all of my family, but I will be having a baby. Well not me personally, but my wife. This is why even though I've desperately been wanting to post on the blog I've been having to hold off to spend my time on a rather intensive project or rather projects.

This has been the reason that I have not been keeping up the blog. I'll post little things, but a guy's got to do what a guy's got to do. I'm not dropping off the radar for no reason.

Narrow Thinking

It disturbs me when people feel like they must put rigid labels on the martial arts. Labels are needed for a means of identification and transmission of ideas, but the labels are not the things themselves. Is something really art if it is one way and one way only? Is following a set of directions and checking the box art? Does personal preference for a personal art not come into the equation? Must I conform to your ideas to practice my art?

Bad Karate

"You have to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."

Yogi Berra

I believe the idea that karate is not for physical violence is an excuse for teaching bad karate. If you make karate something strictly spiritual, or mental with no regard for the serious implications of violence than you can make it as confusing, nonsensical and crappy as you please. If someone learns nothing, gets hurt, or it fails when people need it most, you can always cover your butt by saying "karate is not about fighting." Students can spend decades adrift in an ocean of misinformation, and never learn what they came for, because they didn't know what they were supposed to learn in the first place.

You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there. Yogi Berra
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/y/yogiberra124868.html

You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there. Yogi Berra
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/y/yogiberra124868.html