About: Glyn Jones

Over the past decade or so there has been a shift or desire by many Karate Ka to spend a lot of their Karate practise time on the ground, to the point that they are actually taking their Karate more and more to the ground. I do wonder and ask why this is for so many reasons? In truth I already know the many answers that will be given so I don’t really need to ask, as in most cases answers given will be along the lines of these I put forward below. Oh and by the way these are not my answers!! 1, if a Karate exponent with acquired ground work skills takes you to the ground and you don’t practise ground work, then you will be given a lesson in real fighting and what Karate is all about, a lesson that you will never forget. Many Karate Ka were previously poorly prepared for this eventuality. So a Karate Ka with say 50 / 50 stand up to ground skills is more proficient than one that is say 90 […]

One of my favourite Japanese proverbs is “Seven times down, Eight times up” or “Fall (Get Knocked Down) Seven times, stand up (Get back Up) Eight”. Personally, I feel that this saying not only epitomises the teachings of Karate and Budo but life too, because at times of struggle and hardship no matter how difficult things are a more positive way of thinking is crucially important for coming back from adversity. This being the case, whilst in Okinawa, Japan during the Autumn of 2013 the renowned Karate Sensei and calligrapher Tetsuhiro Hokama Sensei when he asked me what I wished for him to brush scroll for me. These words were chosen not cheaply or randomly, but for very good reason and with deep meaning so that they could hang at the front of my Dojo wall for all who enter to be constantly reminded of their value. This saying also acts as a reminder of words that my father would often say to me. He used to say “Where there is a will, there is a way” and also “Anyone […]

As a Karate Ka in search of the depths of Budo we naturally cross the paths of the other Martial Arts that have risen from Japan. Be this to seek further knowledge or guidance specifically or merely just as an observer our Budo paths will most certainly cross. Generically speaking of the other Arts, be it Judo, Ju Jutsu, Kendo or Aikido we rarely think of them or speak in terms of style… Yes, maybe a teachers lineage or specific back ground is spoken of but that’s a different thing all together. We tend to think of say Aikido as Aikido not in terms of styles. However, with Karate these days it either seems to be all about the style that one practises, or Karate Ka going on about having no style or system at all, when in reality just like when we look at the other Arts our focus and basis of training should be on the teacher and the quality of training or teachings that we are studying and is taking place within the Dojo. “We must not […]

The most powerful weapon that we have as human beings is the brain. For many though within the Martial Arts the mind actually becomes detrimental to ones understanding, study and progression. Why? Well as humans we often tend to think that we know best or come to conclusions very quickly without researching subjects or seeking out the facts. In many ways Sigmund Freud and then others like Abraham kind of came to the conclusion that we are all psycho analysts by nature, and as a practising Karate Ka I see this clearly on a daily basis. A problem is we ALL instantly absorb information regardless of where it is received, and then we start to come to a self conclusion, and shall I say at times belief. You only have to watch the news channels on television that are full of propaganda whilst being rife with bias to know this to be true. And… Yes the Martial Arts are just the same, or full of Kuchi Bushi as they say in Okinawa, with most, but not all, of the bull […]

組手 Kumi Te or the meeting of hands is in many ways a more modern interpretation of an old Okinawan training practise called Ti Gumi (Te Kumi) the characters have been reversed and for many the characteristics have changed too. What I have noticed over the years is that very few Karate Ka in the West fully understand the basis of the teachings of Kumite in a way that they tend to in the East. Many Karate Ka just see Kumite as sparring, I’d say free fighting but much of that to be seen these days is far from anything to do with fighting. Most may practise the fundamental Kumite’s too, like Ippon, Sanbon, Gohon, however many still do them all with the same feeling, body dynamics and timing, regardless of believing or saying otherwise, the only main difference really is in the numbering or stepping. Or, everything is about blocking and countering. Now don’t see this as a critique of these Kumite drills, as I actually endorse them as they have many benefits. A workman shouldn’t be blaming his […]