I always know when October and the holidays are coming around each year, as we get a slight increase in cancelled classes due to activities at the Momilani Rec Center.  This go around, class for this Saturday, Oct 7, is pre-empted by the annual Fall Craft and Gift Fair, running from 9 am to 1 pm.  So, instead of training, you could actually go to the dojo and look for Christmas presents early in the shopping cycle. When one can’t train at the dojo, there are various vicarious venues that one can choose to augment class.  One of the easiest is to watch a short video.  Here is one that I sent out a few years ago, likely before many of you had joined our group.  With the recent decision to include Karate as a sport in the 2020 Olympics in Japan, it seemed like a good idea to resent the link out so one can see what Olympic-level kata will be like.  I have watched the performance a number of times just to appreciate the high level of technical ability these young karateka have achieved.  It is from the World Karate Federation 2012 Championships.  It is the winning three-man team from Japan, performing the [...]

Each of us can probably remember the first time we entered the dojo to begin our journey with the art of Karate-Do.  It is an intentional act, and for most adults, a pretty big decision to put on a gi and commit the body and mind to learning the exercises and philosophy of Shotokan.  For some, it ends up being something of a lark or hobby that’s tried for a few classes, a few months, or perhaps a few years.  For others, it eventually becomes a natural and long-lasting part of one’s life. Ironically, while the first karate lesson is usually planned and prepared for – the last one is usually unintentional.  One might gradually get too busy at school, work, or with personal activities.  It might be a health issue or some minor injury.  Often, it’s a temporary break due to some circumstance that slowly becomes a permanent break long after the circumstance is gone.  In any case, few of us ever know when the last time we train in the dojo will be.  The only sure thing is that for each of us – there will, inevitably, be a last time we get to place on our gi [...]

Just found out that Momilani Rec Center is having the PCCA Family Fun Day event next Saturday (August 19), which means an “end of summer” break from training so that you folks can buy last minute school supplies and clothes, go for a last chance summer picnic at the beach, or spend a couple of hours training at home (as if!). As you know, we recently held exams for some of our blue and green belts.  In regular dojos, such testing is held every three months.  Such testing helps keep students focused on short-term goals on the long journey of Karate-Do, and the truth be told, often serves as an additional source of revenue for some commercial dojos.  In fact, over the years, we have seen the number of different color ranks grow and grow for some organizations.  Such places have added additional colors and even striping on the belts to differentiate amongst rank levels within the same color belts.  The cost to take exams in many places goes up and up, especially within the brown and black belts ranks, reaching into hundreds of dollars in some places.  At HIS Karate-Do, we try to keep costs low so that our [...]