During much of our basic training in Karate-Do, much emphasis placed upon the importance of power and speed.  Later, of course, we work on things like: timing, accuracy, weight displacement, momentum, using imbalance, breathing, and on and on.  At the beginning, however, kime is mentioned in almost every class. There is, however, a hidden element to the concept of kime – the importance of…non-kime (made up this term, haha) or being relaxed for 99% of the technique. We use the term “relax” but we don’t mean it in the western sense of being relaxed.  Rather, we’re talking about the lack of any unnecessary tension within the muscles throughout execution of the technique, except for the point of impact.  Kime before impact acts to slow down the technique.  Holding kime after impact (except for harmonic force back in thrust techniques) doesn’t increase the effect and actually: 1) leaves one open for a counter attack and 2) delays your following moves in any combination attack.  So being “relaxed” is just as important in “hard” styles of martial arts (like Shotokan) as it is in “soft” systems like Aikido and Tai Chi Chuan.

Speaking of “tenses”, here’s a short note to discuss tense when it comes to time.  You know; Past Tense, Present Tense, and Future Tense.  Many good karateka come to class and spend their time totally focused on the lessons to be learned (this is a good thing!).  This means that they are totally immersed and focused on the Present.  This is how one gets the most of the hour or two spent sweating and straining in the Dojo.  When one leaves, even if one totally removes karate from his/her mind until the class, there are effects that continue beyond the end of that day’s training.  Well after class is excused, one’s body continues to burn calories, along with an increased respiration (and perspiration) rate.  Over a period of days, certain muscle groups will work to strengthen, tendons and ligaments will become slightly more flexible, and even one’s muscle memory will continue to work on imbedding basic and novel movements learned in class.  And if you train and teach long enough, concepts of movement will actually begin to dance in your head.  In other words, the learning process continues beyond the Present.  It actually does much of the positive impact during the Future.  After many years of practice, the greatest impact and value of Karate-Do becomes evident when one reflects upon the Past.  Trust me, so much of what Sensei Wayne, Peter and I can do today; so much of what we understand about Karate-Do (and about Life) is due to the many decades spent teaching and training in the Past.  Any of us can jump in and play “tag-team sensei” with sharing the day’s lessons and I’ve been told that it often seems as if we were all reading off of the same syllabus.  What we each learned in the Past, equipped us to be teachers in the Future.

We try to share Karate-Do with that in mind.  That our daily lessons will go beyond how you perform today.  It’s about developing some life-long health/mental/spiritual strengths for your future.  It’s the hope that some of you younger members might be sharing Karate-Do with others as the sensei in the Future – long after our days in the Dojo are in our Past…at least, that’s our in-tense-ion. Haha

But, in the meantime, relax your shoulders when you do tsuki and don’t tense until the point of impact!

😲👊