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- Hakone, Japan – fall 2005
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- in a Japanese hostel, fall 2005
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- @ my apartment, december 2009
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- a wooden Japanese bokken for training, fall 2009
My interest in martial arts dates back to my teen years when I first became interested in Tae Kwon Do & Karate. Then about 5 years ago I became very interested in Kung Fu, not so much as a martial art form but more of an interest in zen and Buddhism. But finding a Shaolin monk in Phoenix proved difficult (LOL) so I decided to take up Shotokan (a traditional form of Karate).
In 2005 & 2006 I lived in Yokohama, Japan and had an opportunity to continue my studies in Shotokan while living in Japan, which was really cool. And since I returned to Phoenix at the end of 2006, I have continued my studies in Shotokan and Buddhism and incorporate this into my daily life in the form of spirituality and athletic training. I still regularly perform my katas and recently purchased a Bokken and began weapons training. A Bokken is a Japanese mid-sized sword that is most often used nowadays in Aikido weapons training.
I have a brown belt in Shotokan, though my actual skill level is probably higher above this. I have had other martial arts training including Tae Kwon Do as I mentioned earlier, and I’ve studied Shotokan under different sensei not to mention my own personal training. But I’ve never been one to worry about the belts!
Physical fitness is very important to me, and I think finally western science has begun to understand the full benefits of exercise for mental health, the immune system, and even in terms of “successful” aging. Karate can be an important component of physical fitness by capitalizing on the physical power of the system of joints and levers that comprises the skeletal system. And karate can help focus body and mind energy to provide relaxation which has proven physical and mental health benefits.
Proper practice of karate relies on natural movement and the principle of “mushin.” This is what we think of in the western world as finding a sort of quiet, inner peace; blocking-out distractions. Most people find it very, very difficult to achieve but Buddhist spiritual principles generally do not advise us to “be perfect” but rather to “seek perfection.”
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Do you teach Karate?
Do you use your thesis on education to produce effective teaching methods for karate coaching, some of the old ways are excellent, but some are perhaps for a different purpose than teaching kids confidence.
Callum Dick
Not at the present, but I think combining karate and eastern elements of Buddhist philosophy with western ideologies on education and psychology would be a nice mind/body combo.
Someone sent me an interesting question via email the other day: “What do you think is the best fighting style of martial arts?”
I replied: The best fighting style is the one that matches up best with your physique, abilities, and temperament. That said, I think it is better to have a well-rounded fighting style, something where you feel comfortable using a mixture of kicks and punches (blocks too of course). Examples of mostly one-dimension fighting styles are Tae Kwan Do (mostly kicks) and boxing (only punches). Kung Fu, Karate, and Muy Thai are all similar fighting styles and “American kickboxing” blends these disciplines together, borrowing from each.
In MMA most of the guys are cross-trained in wrestling or JJ, but keep in mind that these styles of fighting are pretty impractical in the real world – it’s kind of hard to “shoot in” on someone when you are standing in a paved parking lot in the summer, with the asphalt reaching 150 degrees! Not to mention that training in many traditional martial arts teaches you to end a fight as quickly as possible (if fighting is inevitable), meaning that I would do something to you considered “illegal” in MMA or wrestling. MMA is fun to watch (sometimes), but most of these guys are just brawlers or wrestlers and would not be able to handle a Master of one of the traditional martial arts that has been trained to injure or kill to stop a fight.