I finally opened a personal blog for my personal trainer / karate instructor profile. Check out the posts I have so far and see what you think!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
March News
Our new Karate program in Kingstree, SC has gotten off to a good start. If you live in or near the area, please come out and try a free class! The classes are held on Saturdays at 10 a.m., and are located at the Williamsburg County Recreation Complex located at 2084 Thurgood Marshall Hwy in Kingstree.
While business has been slow at our Lake City, SC location, we do have some very dedicated students. They have been working hard, and we're finally covering the Pinan katas. I have a few essays left to write for my fitness instruction coursework. Once I have everything submitted and obtain my certification, I will start getting ready for my career in the Charleston area. I will still maintain the Karate classes in Lake City and Kingstree on Saturdays (Kingstree in the morning, Lake City in the afternoon).
While I officially closed my Lake City dojo in January, I will continue teaching my current students as well as continue offering private lessons to anyone who is interested. Please get in touch with me at my Karate instructor page for more information!
Also, don't forget to check out the Supplementary resources page for Understanding Karate.
While business has been slow at our Lake City, SC location, we do have some very dedicated students. They have been working hard, and we're finally covering the Pinan katas. I have a few essays left to write for my fitness instruction coursework. Once I have everything submitted and obtain my certification, I will start getting ready for my career in the Charleston area. I will still maintain the Karate classes in Lake City and Kingstree on Saturdays (Kingstree in the morning, Lake City in the afternoon).
While I officially closed my Lake City dojo in January, I will continue teaching my current students as well as continue offering private lessons to anyone who is interested. Please get in touch with me at my Karate instructor page for more information!
Also, don't forget to check out the Supplementary resources page for Understanding Karate.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Mikiri Applications in Karate
If you're not familiar with the concept of mikiri, the basic idea is that it is a "way of dealing with an attack other than blocking it" (Dave Lowry's definition in quotes). The word literally means "cutting with the body". Dave Lowry wrote a very good article about "mikiri" in which he gives a very concise yet useful analysis of the concept and how to drill it. As he states, though, it does take a lot of practice. I know that, for myself, it took me a very long time to become a good judge of range "on
the fly" in sparring - especially when dealing with partners who have great economy of motion and do not telegraph (or very little)! Indeed, timing and distance are primary concepts in any martial art. Japanese styles, from my experience, term the concept that deals with range - "ma-ai". Working on sparring drills - such as one steps and kata "bunkai" - with my students has helped us all work on of distance management, especially "mikiri".
Mikiri article by Dave Lowry
This article is part of the author's book "The Karate Way: Discovering the Spirit of Practice". If you want to read the full book instantly, and be able to read it anywhere you go, click on the "buy ebook" button on the upper left of the Mikiri article page and go through the Google Play checkout process. You can also order the print edition of the book from that article page as well.
View the below syllabus for excellent descriptions of Mikiri and De-ai applications, as well as some useful drills -
Northwestern University Karate Club - Fall Syllabus
Be sure to also read my blog post on dirty boxing for more about in-fighting, misdirection, and so forth.
Mikiri article by Dave Lowry
This article is part of the author's book "The Karate Way: Discovering the Spirit of Practice". If you want to read the full book instantly, and be able to read it anywhere you go, click on the "buy ebook" button on the upper left of the Mikiri article page and go through the Google Play checkout process. You can also order the print edition of the book from that article page as well.
View the below syllabus for excellent descriptions of Mikiri and De-ai applications, as well as some useful drills -
Northwestern University Karate Club - Fall Syllabus
Be sure to also read my blog post on dirty boxing for more about in-fighting, misdirection, and so forth.
Dirty Boxing
In martial arts, timing, misdirection, feints and so forth are indeed very important. Below is a video that details dirty boxing. The check hook that is mentioned in the below video has been successfully used by many boxers, such as Floyd Mayweather Jr. The video demonstrates how to set up for it and other methods. Notice how the subtle body twisting and evasion up close sets up for the misdirection, intercepting your opponent's intentions, and counter punches. This all makes for great ways to drill in-fighting. The guy shows how to set up for an overhand right, and later, a shoulder push that sets up for a hook - it reminded me of the ways I teach my students to set up for and utilize "blind spots" when practicing their dirty boxing. Of course, it takes a lot of practice and awareness of subtle body movements, and being loose in sparring drills.
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