Karate-do highlights

The word "kiai" is synonymous with karate but few truly understand its purpose or meaning.

The literal translation as it pertains to martial arts is written in the title, "unified energy". An advanced practitioner would understand it as a gathering of energy in your center of gravity or your hara. The point in which almost all significant body behavior and reactions are reliant on, your abdomen. Without a strong core you are limited in your most basic motions (walking, running, sitting up, sitting down).

However, for a beginner, much of that may not make a whole lot of sense. So lets break it down. In order to synchronize your energy (kime) you must breathe. In order to kiai, you must breathe. It all starts with your breath. Lets try a test. Hold your breath, and do not exhale. Release a punch all the while, holding your breath. That probably felt…

Si vis pacem para bellum - If you want peace, prepare for war. A phrase that embodied the livelihood of the samurai warrior. While many elements of their life were surrounded by serenity, conflict was always knocking at their door.

In times of war, Injury or death was common. It was imperative that the samurai enlisted the help of a doctor. But not just any doctor, they had to be skilled in combat, they had to also be a samurai. The enemy would be reluctant to allow a healer on the field to help balance the scales of combat, so it was possible the doctor may be attacked and needed to know how to defend themselves.

Hira was a skilled doctor who found himself enlisted in an important battle between two samurai clans. His objective was simple, keep the samurai from his clan healthy and as able to fight as…

I had always enjoyed the sight of a Japanese maple tree and wanted one of my own. Every Japanese maple tree I came across was so full, always in a unique shape of growth and life. Not to mention, red is my favorite color and freshly grown Japanese maple leaves display a beautiful, bright shade of red that I had to have! Any home they stood in front of, captured my attention. So I did my research and began my hunt. To my dismay, I quickly understood that trees are very expensive. So I searched online, hoping I might come across a clearance sale or find some way, I could snag one of those beauties for a more reasonable cost. And there it was, priced at a very low cost of $59.99, found at the unlikely website of home depot. There was no time to lose, add to cart and the…

Overlooking, under valuing, and under appreciating are common traits of general practitioners in all areas of art or forms of discipline.

There is a reason so few make it to the pinnacle of an art or discipline and that is a common neglect of the details, especially when the details are seen or understood as insignificant.

If I asked you the question, "what is the first movement in tai kyoku shodan", you would probably say "down block" and you would not necessarily be wrong and yet there are many details overlooked with such a reply to what seems like a basic question.

You begin a kata with your feet connected as you rei. Your feet then seperate as your hands cross in front of your midsection only to uncross in sync with the separation of your feet, one foot at a time. The announcement of the kata sets the tone.…

Highlights 1-54 can be found under karate-do general. But since it can be trickier to find and is mixed in with other posts, all future highlights will be posted in this group.

1-54 ⬇️

https://www.scarboroughkaratedo.com/group/karate-do-general-discussion/discussion

Sensei