Japanese Arts

I paused in the clear night air to savour the moments before death, I was lucky to know the time of the completion of this incarnation so I was properly prepared, the icy fingers of fate clawed inside my abdomen making me draw in the crisp air and centre myself. When my family had been slaughtered and I had been the only one to escape my fate had been sealed, I had trained day and night with Sensei to be able to complete my Karma the right way, tonight there was no win or lose...... only completion.Revenge powered my black…

During feudal Japan, many of the samurai clans recognized a code of conduct called “Bushidō”.  Bushido when translated means the "Way of the Warrior" and outlines the way a samurai should conduct his life based on principles of morality, frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and honor until death.  Many martial disciplines have recognized the same principles and in many instances the key reason for the longevity of these systems is due to the reputable individuals who train in those systems.  It would be simplistic to conclude that a true martial art discipline is only based on the physical acts of…

“Tonight is kata…”  We had warmed up performing standing basics, followed by moving basic technique up and down the dojo focusing on individual skills and mindset - and from that work, most of has deduced what the rest of the content of the class would be.  Sensei gazed around at the brown and black belt class… “Last week we worked on ‘kushanku’ – a system kata in our style and this week we will work on the other major ‘system’ kata…  can anyone tell me what it is?” The hands shot up.  Sensei had always taken the time to explain…

“You didn’t turn up for class last night?” “Sorry Sensei…  had a family commitment..” “Right…..   and……” “Well, family comes first doesn’t it?” “You couldn’t phone?” “Oh yeah…  sorry I didn’t think…” “Next time I would appreciate a call because I had planned some of the teaching around your needs last night and was counting on you help with the teaching.” “Yes but you do understand that family comes first don’t you?”

You could tell it was grading day… The toilets stank, the toilet paper had run out within the first 30 minutes of the leisure centre opening. The horrible smell combined with that of spray starch, ralgex and deep heat as the students strapped up their current strains, sprains and injuries hoping they would ‘hold up’ during their grading test. Everyone was nervously ‘bustling’ about as the tables were set up in the hall with the various sensei looking totally out of place in their best ‘bib and tucker’ of grey flannel trousers, shirt, tie and blazer with association badge neatly…

“OK, line up sparring……”My favourite. We form two lines down the centre of the Dojo facing each other and then spar with the person that you are facing. After a couple of minutes we stop and the person at the end of one line goes up to the other end and everyone in that line moves down one person. This way you get to spar with every person in the other line.

"Ji Yu Kata is a natural evolution of formal kata training." Sensei was beginning the lesson. "In some ways it is like formal kata but in other ways very, very different. Tonight I'm going to show you why...." It looks like it's going to be an interesting lesson. "If your formal kata training doesn't lead to ji yu it will definitely be lacking." ‘Ji Yu' means ‘free style' and most people these days when they hear the words ‘free style' kata think of music, flashing lights, glittery gi's, box splits, flips and cartwheels, but we knew that Sensei wouldn't be…

For those of you who don’t know me (which is every single one of you), I think it is necessary to give myself a brief introduction before I get on to the real purpose of this posting, which is to tell you all about Sensei Mark Carroll.  But first of all, me... I am 40 years old, and I have been flying military aircraft of various types since I first joined the RAF in 1988.  I am currently flying the Hawk (the same one the Red Arrows fly).  Its main role is as an advanced trainer, and my job is…

“Sensei, what’s all this kata lark about then?” Sensei looked slightly quizzical……  “kata ‘lark’, what do you mean by that?” We’d just been working on postural alignment, breathing, mental alertness and focus in kata. “Yeah…  I’ve been reading in the mags and on the ‘net’ and lots of people are saying that kata is useless and outdated and that if you want to fight, it’s better to do drills, pad work and sparring….” “They’re certainly essential to your training regime, but don’t forget that these forms were devised by people that were held to account for their skills…. many people…

I’ve known Lorraine Box for many years, I’ve watched her successfully follow her dreams, progressing from top world class competitor and World Karate Champion to Chief Instructor of her own 350 strong association and then moving from sport karate on to our Shi Kon traditional training in Wado karate and Yang Family tai chi. During that period she has got together with her partner Paul, become a mother of two and they have both now completed the monumental task of building their own full time, professional training centre in Corfe Mullen in Dorset.

“So…. what’s the meaning of life Sensei?”  We had all just sat down for a short break in between classes. “What do you think it is?”  The question had really been rhetorical and the questioner hadn’t really expected an answer - or the question to be answered with a question. “He’d be happy with a nymphomaniac that owned a pub!”  chimed in a helpful friend and fellow student…. “With a friend!”  helped another…. “So you think happiness is the meaning of life?” “Yeah!” they all chorused…  “As long as you’re happy, that’s the main thing…”

What was it that made him so special? A middle aged man going through some Kata, he wasn’t that fast, he wasn’t that sharp, nothing like you would see in the Martial Art movies, absolutely nothing like you would see Kata performed at competitions...... and yet his was so much more........  Whenever I watched Sensei practising I knew that I was witnessing something very special, something far deeper than just Karate.......  It was almost as if the perfect Kata was doing him......  It always struck me as “other worldly”...............

Sam was sitting on the side of the Dojo looking dejected….. “What’s up Sam? - You’ve got a face like a smacked bum” Sensei sat down beside him. “I just don’t seem to be getting anywhere….” “That’s because you’re sitting still…” Sam’s face managed a wan smile.  “No… in my training.  I work hard and don’t seem to be getting anywhere.  I’m awkward, clumsy, can never remember techniques and everyone else seems to be getting on so much faster than me….” “Aaaaaahhhhh….  So you’re making THAT mistake…..” said Sensei.

“Tonight I want to teach you how to study kata.” “You just do it don’t you Sensei?” “Just do it, is a big term Roger…” “It’s an advert Sensei.” “I know that Ged, thank you.  I’m more concerned with developing the right mindset in which to study.” “That’s bunkai isn’t it?” “Bunkai means to ‘break down and explore’.” “You’ve often explained that Sensei, and then gone on to explain the ‘trinity’ of kata, if I remember it right it’s medical, skill and then application is that right?” “Yes it is, well done.”

STEVE ARNIEL 9th Dan Kyokushinkai Interview by Steve Rowe in the year 2000 I have known of Steve Arniel since the 1960’s and personally for some years.  I have attended the Kyokushinkai tournaments since the beginning, many of them as a V.I.P guest and had the honour of awarding Steve the “man of the year” award for “Traditional Karate” magazine at one of those tournaments. Steve is one of the most senior, if not the most senior Karateka in Great Britain.  He holds the prestigious grade of 8th Dan and the respected title of Hanshi.  He has held the respect…

“Tonight I want to teach you how to study kata.” “You just do it don’t you Sensei?” “Just do it, is a big term Roger…” “It’s an advert Sensei.” “I know that Ged, thank you. I’m more concerned with developing the right mindset in which to study.” “That’s bunkai isn’t it?” “Bunkai means to ‘break down and explore’.” “You’ve often explained that Sensei, and then gone on to explain the ‘trinity’ of kata, if I remember it right it’s medical, skill and then application is that right?”

"Look up and forward Joe..." It must have been the twentieth time that Sensei had said it during this class. "Don’t look down… There's no money on the floor... (laughter) You have to direct your attention towards your opponent and use the “thrust” from your eyes to influence both him and yourself." "So how are we supposed to do that then Sensei? This isn't some of that mystical "chi" stuff is it? Sensei laughed. "Your eyes direct and reflect your intention, looking at the floor is negative body language, it signifies submission - and makes you feel submissive!" "Yeah but…

Practically all karateka practise kata; however, most only practise the initial stage and therefore they do not develop a rounded and more complete understanding of what kata has to offer. In this article we shall discuss all four stages of kata practise. The first stage is the practise of the solo form and is what most people think of when they talk about kata practise. The first thing that a karateka learns is the actual physical sequence of the kata; the body mechanics required for maximum efficiency; the correct mental attitude etc. This is a very important stage of kata practise.…

I have, for many years, been interested in the history surrounding the martial arts and in particular the history of Ju Jitsu.  Some years ago I came across several old books on the subject and this served to make me want to learn even more about the art and specifically the history of the art here in the UK.  I discovered that there had been a school in London, situated close to Oxford Circus which was staffed by Japanese & English teachers and I managed to discover some documents from that time describing the training and the attributes a student…

I love it when we get to train with clubs from other styles and disciplines - ‘sharing’ is always a worthwhile experience. Tonight we were working out with a local RBSD group who focused on self defence. “We call this the ‘fence’” said Mathew, the RBSD instructor, as he held his hands up in front of his body. “’Fence’ because it’s our first line of defence and any attack has to get through first. If I have my hands in a good strong position it means that I’m best prepared to deal with the opponent.” “Interesting” said William, we call…

“Pinan Shodan!”  We all chorused together. “Ichi”  Sensei had a way of counting in Japanese, using the inflection in his voice that spurred us into the right ‘character’ of movement.  It couldn’t be done in English.  Japanese has the inflection at the end of each word that mirrors the focus or ‘kime’ in a technique.  Sensei also had the way of elongating the count when he wanted a slow kata movement.  It was a real skill.  His count and voice would tell us exactly what he wanted from us in sound. Sometimes it would be ‘urgent’ when he wanted a…

In this article I want to challenge some of the commonly held beliefs about the Pinan / Heian series. Although frequently viewed as kata for children or beginners, it is my belief that the Pinan series represent a holistic and frequently brutal combat system. To establish why I believe that to be true, the first thing I want to call into question is the commonly accepted meaning of “Pinan”.If you were to consult almost every karate book in existence they would tell you that “Pinan” means “peaceful mind”. However, some of my research leads me to conclude that this translation…

“Wanshu!” A great kata, with a long history, Wanshu is one of the most popular forms amongst Okinawan karate systems. We were about to study the Wado Ryu version. The kata is said to have been named after a Chinese envoy to Okinawa who was a martial artist. It is believed that it originated in China around 1690, making it one of the oldest forms. Wanshu was primarily used around the village of Tomari and therefore, part of the Tomari-Te karate system.