The following concepts are particularly useful in developing one’s kumite

Ma-ai ( ~ distance)
Ma-ai is a bit hard to explain, especially in the unarmed fight. The distance between two persons as in judo is very small. Though when the distance is to wide, if you want to throw your opponent, he can pull you backwards easily and you can not make a proper technique anymore. This is the same when you are (more…)

The following terms describe some of the mental qualities developed by Karate training

Muga Mushin ( ~ an empty mind)
‘Mind of no-mind’ refers to a mind that is undistracted and untroubled, yet focussed exclusively on the task at hand. When you enter into a state of mu shin you are void of thought, you have no emotion, no expectations, or anticipation’s. The idea behind this is you leave your mind and let your body do what it has been trained to do. When someone begins to practice a martial art (more…)

The following sayings and words have been recorded in relation to the attitude required or discovered on the path of Karate training.

Nana karobi ya okii
Attributed to 15th century Zen monk Bokuden it translates as (more…)

The following vocabulary covers the japanese names used within class to describe various techniques. In many cases these names are abbreviations or the vernacular equivalent of the full japanese descriptions in print.

Vowel Pronunciation
Japanese words are easily broken into syllables and pronounced without the various intonations present in some other asian languages. These syllables are (more…)