No training until 5th October

Message for club members.

The next training session will be Monday 5th October 2009. I'm going to be out of circulation for a week or so, I'll be back posting soon :)

Aerobic conditioning

OK let's lighten up. This is harder than it looks.....

Add it to your cardio routine.

Ugh! McDojo Recruitment Season!

It's the time of year when the sales and marketing people at the local McDojo gear up for their new intake. Why is it that high-price, high-membership turnaround, low quality clubs attract many people (sometimes hundreds!) only to put them off martial arts for good?

At the same time traditional dojos struggle to find new students. There's the competition from the snake oil peddlers (McDojos) and also places like gyms that offer physical training without thinking about it, where they have aerobic kickboxing and suchlike (so people can play at martial arts without getting bruised or having to bother learning real skills).

There are two McDojos in our part of the world. One is high profile (instant "market") and the other is run by... well, I won't say anything here.

Traditional clubs (by which I mean places like Muay Thai and MMA gyms as well as traditional karate, kung fu etc) rely on a handful of senior grades to keep the place going, as well as the regulars and those who only train in the short term (fair enough if you decide martial arts isn't for you).

The best way to gain new members is word of mouth. A club is only as good as the instructors and students, and simply putting some effort into training and telling people about the place can work wonders. Now, I'm not talking about constantly yakking at people like some network marketing wannabe (or McDojo salesperson!), just being enthusiastic is enough.

Traditional clubs will endure; full time dojos will do well because they are professionally run and are ethical. McDojos will come and go - they tend not to have too many hardcore members anyway. So really, they are not that much of a threat. They tend to attract students who'd rather buy a belt than earn it, leaving the rest of the clubs to work with people who care.

And that's the difference. If you care about your club it is bound to be a success.

I'd rather have a dozen decent students (who can cover hall rental costs) than have 800 low quality students who are only there for a quick fix. Less marketing and business = more training time!

UK Karate Instructors to go on government vetting database

Anyone working with young people (under 18s) must be registered on a new government database designed to "protect" children from paedophiles. There's a £5000 fine for failing to register. Clubs can also be fined £5000 for using unvetted instructors.

Here's the story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8249020.stm

This has implications for karate clubs all over the UK of course. You might have a couple of brown belts who "help out" with the kids' class before their own training session, or you might have senior grades training with younger people. In future they will have to be registered on the database.

No database can protect children. First and foremost it is parents' responsibility to protect their children, then those who work with youngsters have a duty of care. This is just plain common sense and good ethics, but now you have to "prove" you're "safe" by being on a database.

It's yet another government revenue generating scheme and further interference into our lives disguised with good intentions. Being checked out as OK to work with kids is one thing, but keeping another massive database? As someone who develops large-scale databases for a living I know they are good tools, but they are not the answer to life's problems.

The system comes into force in October, and people need to be registered by November 2010 before they are committing the crime of not being vetted.

Bunkai Difficulties?

Are you studying bunkai, and getting yourself lost?

Tip: don't do bunkai!

Another tip... watch aikido videos :) These techniques are uncannily familiar...



Irimi Nage is a favourite of mine.

Basic Wrist/Arm holds

Some aikido for you. But these techniques can easily be found within basic karate kata. In aikido each of the following holds can be executed with different variations, so these are just basic examples of each technique.

They are somewhat painful to Uke :)

Ikkyo


Nikyo (my favourite trick here is to compress the forearm by pushing the wrist and elbow together as though plaing a concertina. Do this after getting the basic twist)



Sankyo


Kote Gaeshi (Wrist Turnout)

Only One Kata

If you had to choose just one kata for training what would it be? What would be the reasons for your choice?

It could be a favourite kata, or one that develops specific skills, or perhaps a kata that encompasses many ideas. Some katas are for specific training, while others are more geared to demonstrating a full system.

Kushanku would be a good candidate for a "single kata". It pretty much wraps up wado ryu in one nice package :)

Some would argue the only kata you need it a tai chi form. The bagua 8 palm changes is another interesting system!

Sanchin and tensho go very nicely together. Now, how about if both these forms were wrapped up into a single kata - that would be something! (Does such a form already exist?) In wado ryu, seishan is the equivalent to sanchin, so that might be a good candidate for covering all the basics.

Interesting article about kata from an Aikido perspective

Worth reading.

http://www.aikiweb.com/training/skoss2.html

Chito Ryu Karate

Now this is an interesting style. I've read about Sensei Chitose in the past -fascinating stuff. Here's some more information on Chito Ryu...

http://chitoryu.com/Chito-Ryu%20Style.htm

And some videos...

Staying Healthy

Important information below
As a follow up to recent posts about conditioning training...

There's a difference between "health" and "fitness". Health refers to our overall physical and mental condition, our wellbeing, and our ability to go about the day without suffering from ailments. Good health means our minds and bodies are working in harmony, operating at optimum parameters as they say on Star Trek.

Fitness is specific, is in fit-for-purpose. You can be a highly trained athlete capable of putting yourself through extreme physical endurance and pressue, but if your immune system is weakened through improper training and diet then your health may suffer.

So the trick is to train smart, and remember that rest is as important as action. And stay healthy! That's why people refer to "health and fitness". You can have one without the other, although it has to be said that fitness works best if you're healthy in the first place!



Here's a health tip: get some Vitamin D inside you (note that I am not issuing medical advice, it's just a tip. Do some research of your own).

The best source of Vitamin D is from sunlight, so catch some rays before autumn/winter sets in (northern hemisphere!) The next best thing is to take cod liver oil (or capsules). There's some information on vitamin D at this site: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp

Vitamin D does an excellent job of protecting you from the Flu Virus - including swine flu. It is far more effective than any untested, potentially dangerous vaccine (why are governments so keen for everyone to have the vaccines? I smell a very nasty rat...)

Here's some information for you:

http://www.medicalvoices.org/
http://www.theflucase.com/

Also very well worth checking out is this information on Colloidal Silver

http://www.regenerativenutrition.com/content.asp?id=61
http://www.colloidalsilveronline.co.uk/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6srMG_2-aY

In your research you'll probably come across colloidal-silver detractors. These people are the same ones who want you to have untested, unproven vaccines. As always, trust your instincts, educate yourself and understand that the "experts" often have their own agenda.

Get fit, stay healthy and enjoy your training.

Hojo Undo

Hojo Undo means "supplementary training". I've posted a few ideas recently on supplementary training for your martial arts. It could include weights, running, swimming, weapons training, yoga and other exercises to increase strength, stamina and flexibility.

Traditionally Hojo Undo means training with Makiwara (striking post), Nigiri Game (gripping jars - old school powerballs!!), as well as sand bags and stones for striking into.

Traditional Hojo Undo can often be found in Okinawan styles, but if this kind of training is your thing why not incorporate it into what you do? We used to do some many years ago. We built our own exercise equipment - Nigiri Game can be made from candy jars filled with sand, stones or grit, for example.

There's some good photos of equipment here
http://www.okinawagoju.com/okinawagoju/ph_hojoundo_equipment.htm

And there's some ideas on making your own at this link:
http://www.otgka.co.uk/supplementary.htm

Powerballs!

OK, calm down. Powerball is an exercise tool for developing grip and arm strength. Here's a video if you've never seen them....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5cM84qSj5o (embedding is disabled...)

Basically, it's a gyroscope and the idea is to spin it up and rotate your wrist. It's amazing how much force these things can generate. They are excellent for improving your grip and forearm strength (and that means you can improve your grappling and punching skills).

I found that engaging the whole body using the powerball gives you a good workout. Try using one in sanchin stance for instance. Keep your arms and shoulders aligned and relaxed. Stay rooted down through your legs and feet.

Useful thing to try.

(Tip: you can start them up without using a length of cord. Once you get the hang of it, it's much better to use).