Back in Okinawa, the root systems of what would become modern karate-do were variously called; te, ti, tuite, toude, etc. Shotokan founder, Funakoshi Gichin, designed and implemented a pervasive alteration of the ancient art to transform it into a budo that would be accepted in Japan. This is very evident, even to those of you who have only experienced our ministry, when we see students who have previously trained in some of the modern Okinawan systems, notably, Shorin-Ryu. The differences, both major and minor, are visible in almost every move and posture. In addition to these physical changes, there were changes to the names of many of the katas. A very major change was renaming Te to Karate. We know that Te means “hand”, but the change to Karate has been translated most often as either “Empty Hand or Open Hand”, with the former probably being the most common. Personally, I don’t care for defining our art as the art of the Empty Hand. I guess another meaning would be the Weaponless Art (the development of Shotokan involved removing weaponry such as the nunchaku, tonfa, sai, bo, jo, and ekku from our hands). I don’t like Empty (I’ve also seen [...]

KATA It reveals your heart, there are no hidden secrets, only endeavor!I wrote this haiku as I was thinking about training one night. Many karateka these days, think of kata as an outdated and useless part of karate. However, I see it as an invaluable component of karate training. Besides it being a great form of exercise when there is no equipment or people to train with (like in Iraq), kata can provide revelations and lessons concerning technique and body movement. With constant and mindful effort there really are no secrets in martial arts!

Often, when we train, we think that our practice is a solitary exercise, that happens to be done in the presence of our fellow karateka. We are so immersed in our own striving to be better, that we don’t have time to think about those around us, other than listening to the instructor’s admonishments, count, and the “kamaete” or “yame” commands. Yet, at the more advanced levels, we begin to ask our students to begin cultivating skills that involve others. These skills require the development of precise timing, automatic response, anticipation, and proper/effective maai (distance). The kumite drills that both Senseis Wayne and Richard began sharing with the advanced group over the past week are part of this vast curriculum. Exercises of this nature involve partnering up with a fellow student and taking turns in being the initiator and responder. These are not easy drills, as immediately, many of one’s weaknesses are exposed, especially in terms of reaction speed and effective distance. If I could describe the essence of what we are trying to develop here in a single word, it would be… Discernment… the ability to understand your partner’s intent, and respond appropriately, before he or she can act. [...]