The Shinken Dojo 真 剣 道 場

The rather strange thing about Karate is that you can have someone who has practiced the art for years, even decades in fact with a high dan grade to match. But, in truth they have gained little understanding of the art at all, which is quite sad to see really. When in reality all they have to show for their valuable time spent is numbers in years and in grades. Then on the contrary you can have another who has only trained in Karate for say five years or so, but both their physical and mental attributes as far as Budo goes are nothing less than admirable to the point of exceeding the level of the former. Strange but true. So why is this and which path would you rather walk??  Because let’s be honest here this is a Budo […]

During the later end of the summer in 2019 Senaha Sensei visited us here in England to teach Karate accompanied by James East Sensei. This was Sensei’s first return to our shores since back in 2007 when he was accompanied by Tamaki Sensei where we hosted them in Birmingham, which is where I was living at the time. This time around his visit was to centre around three areas of England, as in Devon, the Midlands and London. I not only always relish the opportunity of training daily under Sensei, but I also really enjoy spending time in his company too. As this is where I not only get to learn from his wealth of experience when it comes to both life and Karate, but it also makes our relationship a personal one. To the point that by the end […]

One area of Karate that I feel many Karate Ka often fail to grasp, is making sense of what they are practicing. My father would often say to me “Glyn, use your common sense will you son! or go away and work it out for yourself”! Similarly, there are many Okinawan and Japanese Karate Sensei who are well known for making students learn things for themselves and not spoon feed them everything. What this does is not only propagate maturity, but it also brings about a natural feeling or instinct for what feels correct or not when it comes to Karate. Just in the same way that pain is telling you that there is a problem. Remember, discoveries made through one’s own mind and seen with your own eyes are always more valuable than through those of another. When I […]

Staying on topic with my recent blog post regarding Fighting Karate. The following sayings do then come to mind “Train Hard & Fight Easy”, — “It’s Not the Dog in the Fight, but the Fight in the Dog”, — “Face it, Fight it, Finish it”,—“Train and Fight as though your life Depends on it”. Fights are not nice; they are in fact potentially life changing brutal affairs. Of which no reasonably nice person wishes to either attract or frequent them, they are in fact a fools endeavor. As Karate Ka though we do really have to be fully aware of reality, especially so if we wish for our Karate to be effectively operational in such times of need. Trying to use a flashy Kumite sequence or apply a fancy put together Bunkai move in the street, could well see you […]

I’ve always believed that most people who start Karate in the West do so with self-protection in mind. Not wishing to fight anyone of course, but learning how to fight or defend themselves for sure. Some may disagree and say that they started in the Martial Arts for fitness, socializing or health reasons, which is fair enough. However, are gyms and other more health conscious or sporting activities not more suited!? I did say start training in Karate! Because I do accept that once one has trained in the Arts for a number of years, then ones reasons for training can indeed become more varying. As without doubt the biggest challenges then to be faced are with oneself, achieving a calm balanced mind, pushing through the physical and mental hardships of training, goals set, self-motivation and even laziness all have […]

Much has been written about the similarities and may I say differences between Traditional Karate and Competition Karate, at times they can even overlap. Most of the time though it is all down to just a few basic factors. Depth of understanding and one’s approach to their Karate training, and most importantly of all, mindset. I like the way that in this clip Meitestsu Yagi Sensei tries to make a clear honest distinction between the two. Thus by showing how even members of his own Dojo and family can at times train in Kata with a totally different purpose and differing emphasis in mind. Personally, at times I feel that Karate Ka can hide behind the practices of either way. Doing a Karate that is poorly understood and rough technically isn’t an excuse for saying it’s Traditional Karate, no more […]

Conversations with Senaha Sensei have recently been featured in the Ryu Kyu Shinbun (Okinawa Newspaper). I’m sharing parts of it here as it may be of historical interest, plus there are many fine words of advice spoken. Senaha Shigetoshi Sensei (79 Years Old) was a longtime student of the Okinawa Goju Ryu Master Meitoku Yagi Sensei (1912 – 2003) who was an intangible cultural heritage of Okinawa. “A mans word must be kept to the end” Ikigai means commitment or an oath. I learned this value from Meitoku Yagi Sensei when I was around 19 years old, whereby a verbal promise made by a man should be the same as a formal contract. You should always keep your word and keep your promise! After training Sensei would seat everyone in a circle in the Dojo and begin discussions. This taught […]