10 November 2016

A new country, new path?

Zoe was a young teenager when she first walked into our dojo and discovered karate. It soon became her passion and she excelled, both as a student and teacher. Her profound understanding, powerful physical prowess, playful nature and gentle femininity was an awesome mix. Not surprisingly she became a highly sought after instructor and role model to other young women in our club.

In 2012 love of a good man took her to Calgary, Canada where she now lives with her husband and baby daughter.

Despite being so far from her home and karate family, she has continued her martial arts journey encountering a range of difficulties along the way.

She has kindly agreed to share her thoughts in this candid and honest interview.

When did you start practising karate and why?
Funakoshi's grave.
I was 17 years old, so that's, 1997 I think! Growing up as a teenager in Bristol made me realize that as a woman I needed to protect myself. I would often go down town with my friends, we would see fighting and the male attention was sometimes quite intimidating. Little did I know that Shotokai Karate would become so much more than a system of self defense.

Describe your karate journey so far. What have been the highs & lows?
I've seen associations split, egos clash and Karate reveal people for who they really are good and bad.
But mostly I have had a marvellous time meeting some of the most incredible and inspirational people in different countries around the world.
Highlights being -  practicing with the Japanese Masters (The Yutenkai) in Japan and in Pisa, Italy. Also practicing with the warm and exuberant Italians on the hot sand in Pisa. Sharing great friendships. Watching people grow and seeing them progress is the most satisfying and amazing thing.
Low point: Is probably right now actually. Trying to find my way in North America and find people who understand what I am trying to teach. Trying to get past the people who want instant gratification of just punching and kicking. Its a long journey with many twists and turns. Sometimes you want to just give up but something always calls me in my heart just to keep going.

Has karate informed your private life? If so, in what way?
Its made me the person I am today. I seek to be a better person because of it. It turned my life around as a teenager and has constantly kept the demons in my head that say 'you are not good enough' at bay. It's a constant test of resilience and determination, this helps relationships and goals in all areas of life. It has kept me humble, patient and generous.

How did having a family and moving away from Bristol affect your karate aspirations?
Its tough, I miss helping dedicated people learn Shotokai Karate. It will come. As I said above its another twist in my journey that is testing my commitment. I have explored other martial arts and enjoyed what they have to offer but I am always drawn back to passing on my experience. I love to teach and I need to do what I love. I know that I have to have huge patience to build a club and balance that with finding something new that fits with my beliefs. Also having a child means she will always come first, she is my first priority and any parent will know that it takes some time to adapt to this new role and responsibility.

What qualities do you hope to find in a karate instructor?
HUMILITY!! Kindness and a genuine spirit for wanting to help people become their best. An understanding of connection, long term progression and the art of martial arts.

What would be your ideal practice environment? In other words, what do you look for when assessing whether or not to visit / join, a new club?
HUMILITY!! Kindness and a genuine spirit for wanting to help people become their best!  Not trying to suffocate my previous experience. Openness and respect. FUN people, who don't take themselves too seriously and who want to help others.

What has been your biggest martial arts challenge to date?
Canada!

What advice would you give to someone starting out on their karate journey?
Persevere, stay open and try to leave your baggage at the door of the dojo at each practice. Enjoy the journey, don't rush, be very patient and kind to yourself and others.
Have you ever studied any other martial art apart from karate and, if so, how do they compare?
Aikido, Kickboxing, Wing Chun Kung Fu. Each style has great things to offer. Aikido for it flow and lack of violence toward your partner (neutralize the attack). Kickboxing for its fast pace, great kicks, learning to get in do the damage and then get out. Wing Chun for its fast compact techniques that constantly stick to their attacker, a great system for street self defence and as I like to call it, Telephone box fighting. Wing chun is a great influence right now to me as it was designed by a small woman and understands how to use the energy of a large male against them. I see a lot of similarities between Wing Chun and Shotokai Karate.

What would you have written on your karate headstone?
Stay Humble. Be kind. Keep an open heart.

03 November 2016

Karate Belts - More than keeping your trousers up?

"It is not what you wear ..... its what you do" - Master Chen

 When the white belt becomes dirty and discoloured by years of hard training it turns to black, then after more years of dedicated practice, the “dirty” belt becomes frayed. The white cotton stitching is revealed thus returning the black belt to white symbolising that however great the master, there is always more to learn. It’s a popular and romantic view but opinions about the value of karate belts are mixed.

I have had the great pleasure to practice with a truly authentic Grandmaster, Chen Xiaowang. Although not specifically referring to karate belts, Master Chen made the point that your value as a martial artist was not determined by the colour of a piece of cloth around your waist.

The need to have a visual signpost illustrating the student’s current point along their karate path seems to have had its roots in the early 1930’s. Many believe that Gichin Funakoshi, one of the founders of modern karate, was instructed to adopt the judo approach to rank if he wanted karate to be accepted as a main stream Japanese martial art. Funakoshi agreed, and the coloured karate belt system was introduced.

Today there are as many coloured belts as there are colours in the rainbow. Our dojo adopts a basic primary colour system. However manufacturing improvements have resulted in not just bold, primary coloured belt designs, but also multi coloured striped belts, chequered belts and two tone belts being widely used and available.

There appear to be two main schools of thought.

The first believes that the novice student should wear a white belt until they are considered good enough to wear the coveted black belt. Variations on this approach have resulted in some groups adopting a single intermediary grade of brown belt, before black.

The other, arguably more widespread view, accepts that there is at least some value in having a coloured belt grading system. The precise colours of the belt vary from group to group, but generally begin with white, moving through to a black belt, via six or seven other colours.
What are the benefits?

Personally, I subscribe to Master Chens’ view, but recognise there is value in an overt ranking structure. Recently, a mature student successfully completed a basic assessment and as a result was awarded a new karate belt. She remarked it was the first time since leaving school, that she had been publicly recognised for any type of achievement. She went onto explain that this recognition had raised her sense of self worth, and had profoundly impacted on her long standing acceptance that she would never achieve anything.

This may sound extreme, but this type of acknowledgment resonates on some level with many ordinary people. When I talk about ordinary people, I don’t mean to sound disparaging but I refer to the type of person who is never going to be an Olympic athlete, or “Champion.” It’s the silent majority who have to put age, infirmity, family, or work first before embarking on any physical challenge.

The setting of achievable goals or objectives is important for many people. These sign posts along the path to karate mastery can be a powerful motivator for the student.
Of course like most things there is a darker side. Jealousy and desire linked to ambition and the acquisition of power can unfortunately result in a misuse of the belt ranking system. Also the use of coloured belt awards as rewards is open to abuse by some instructors whose income depends on student numbers. I have seen such instructors unfortunately influenced by the prospect of a student leaving if not awarded their new belt. For those leaders, the temptation to reward, and therefore retain the student, must be a constant challenge.

Instructors, group leaders and those with this responsibility, should also be alive to the impact promotion of a student to a new rank can have on the micro culture found in karate clubs. On balance
if managed correctly, with integrity and appropriate value, the coloured karate belt system provides many students with a sense of context, and the opportunity to set meaningful goals; such a system also allows instructors and leaders to plan lessons more effectively, providing appropriate practices in line with the students experience and ability.


Keeping this perspective helps encourage achievement with challenge, and healthy competition, but at the end of the day, a belt is just something to keep you trousers up!

17 October 2016

Karate and Mental Health

‘Ding’ - you know the sound. The lightbulb moment when you understand or do something which you didn’t or couldn’t before. It's a great sound and an even better feeling - for the person and also the instructor. As a teacher I hear and see these moments more than most and it’s what gets me out of bed in the morning.

At Zenshin Dojo we enjoy these moments pretty regularly and it’s great to see. Unfortunately we also see and feel something else much more often. It’s teacher's’ worst nightmare. It stops learning, its stops happiness, it stops progression. It damages self esteem, slows down physical healing and affects mental health.

Lack of growth mindset, negative mindset, low self esteem - or as I like to call it ‘I’m rubbish’ thinking.

I know what your thinking - ‘over react much!’ but unfortunately it is not an over reaction, it is something which can really negatively affect a person. For some people this is not so much of a worry. You get along fine, meeting challenges, staying positive and being successful. But I think it is still important to be aware of the negative mindset, because it can take you by surprise. It can be as easy as thinking ‘I’m rubbish’ after only trying something once. For a classic over thinker like me however, it can often be a daily struggle to stay in the growth mindset and not get sucked into a negative one or worse depression.

I work with pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. I also have suffered with and taken medication for depression in the past. I, along with plenty of other people, experience stress from work and personal responsibilities. Others in the club may have more personal experience of other types mental health illnesses. Mental health is important for everyone to acknowledge, talk about and defend against as it can damage relationships, ruin lives and kill people.

‘karate is not just self defence from others, it can also be defence from the self’

Words of wisdom from Rob Jones at the 2016 Zenshin Dojo Summer School. Rob joked about defending against ‘lethargy’ and ‘drinking too much’. My first thought was ‘defending against the effect of eating too much cake’. All these things are important to defend against individually. But look a bit deeper into these habits to defend against and you might find the ‘I’m rubbish’ demon lurking behind all of them.

‘Another drink won’t hurt’ (I’m not social or funny enough without a few drinks)

‘I’m too tired’ (my energy should be spent on others - work/children/house - not myself)

‘that was rubbish’ (anything less than perfect is a failure)

Karate is a martial art, a physical self defence sport and a mental defence from the self. At Zenshin Dojo there are many aspects which positively affect the physical and mental health of its members. But I would like to focus on the mental.

The social events and friendly atmosphere is an important part of our club’s ethos. It is acknowledged, practiced, celebrated and easy to measure, through the growth in numbers, the smiles and the strong, international links with other clubs. Humans are social creatures and being part of a group can be a powerful tool in the defence against mental health. A new member at Zenshin Dojo feels welcomed, at ease, not judged for making mistakes and is given special attention and support, making them feel safe and therefore come back. People with injuries or who are less fit or have other health setbacks are included and encouraged. Higher grades are given responsibility and are asked to pass on knowledge. All members are valued and respected which encourages value and respect for ourselves.

I often find my head full from a busy day with a ‘to do’ list as long as my arm, grumpy, stressed or just in a negative mindset. A good practice in the dojo changes that. I have found that by focusing on the physical shapes and movement allows me to quiet my mind and forget about everything else. This has the added benefit of putting problems and negative thoughts in perspective. After practice when you can return to ‘real life’ the small stuff has been filtered out, real problems are now ‘challenges’ and the overwhelmed feeling is replaced by ‘bring it on’. This effect is well documented, all sport and exercise allows endorphins to be released in the brain which has been proved to improve mental health and self esteem. But there is something about Karate, possibly the repetition, the physical contact or the risk of getting hit, that satisfies the cave-dwelling brain in all of us.

Rob often talks about the karate ‘journey’ - the recognition that everyone is on the same path, but at different points. The journey is the important part - not the destination. The journey should be measured in the distance you have travelled not where you have started from or the time it has taken. All these aspects of the analogy support the the theory of growth mindset. There is always something to improve on whatever grade, what ever age. When you are able to accept that and continually use it, in karate and daily life, you will also be able accept, overcome and move on from challenges in life whether they are personal, work related, physical or mental.

Zenshin Dojo has has helped me get more physically and mentally fit. It has helped me overcome challenges, including unemployment and questioning whether or not I should continue teaching. It helps me deal with stress at work and enables me to keep calm and defend myself when dealing with challenging pupils. These are personal experiences which some people may not relate to, but if you reflect I think you will find the mental health benefits of Karate in your own life. So however you’re feeling, put on your gi, get a sweat on, choose a positive mindset and embrace the ‘ding’






09 October 2016

Karate in Nepal, a local view.

We have had the pleasure of interviewing Sanjeev, a Karate instructor based in Nepal. Sanjeev has been kind enough to answer our questions. We hope you find his answers as interesting as we did.

How long have you been practising karate and why did you start in the first place?
It's been 15 year's

How many students are in your club?
I have 50 students. Most of the students are from local area. 5 to 20 years old. We have morning and evening classes, 6 days a week. My club is in Biratnagar the second largest city of NEPAL and is the industrial capital of NEPAL.

Why is your club called Manakamana karate dojo?
It is named after Manakamana temple.
I am not alone in my karate my sensei helps me a lot to run my club he have never arrived in my club but he is always there when I need any help.

Describe the environment where you practice? Always outside? Or do you have an indoor space?
We have indoor but we practice mostly outside. I have to pay for indoor but from this session we are facing some problems. Actually I was having indoor class with aerobic teacher he used to teach aerobics and I was teaching karate but now the owner of that place wants to use that place for some other business purpose so we are outside now.

What do other local people, and the parents of your students say to you about karate?
For most of the parents they know the value of martial arts they think it's very good for kids in their overall development. Some parents send their children just because their children wants to learn otherwise they think it's dangerous sports. It is very difficult to convince those types of parents.

What do you find more satisfying, teaching or practising and why?
Practicing and teaching karate has become part of my day to day life. One day without karate it's very difficult to stay without karate.

Have you experienced any problems with the running of your club? If so, what were they and how did you overcome them?
Yes I did face problem while running my club. When I started my karate club there is already one club which was situated over there but it was not running regularly so I started my club and when I started my club the coach of another club who is also a senior master called me and tried to convince me not to open new club but u look after club (both club as one) as  an assistant coach but  we couldn't work together for long time so I decided to work alone but it became very difficult because he was a well established coach (government coach) and I am volunteer coach but trying my labour hard to bring best out of me and my students.

What has been your biggest challenge so far and what has been your biggest success (or what are you most proud of)?
For me success is not when my children get medals I find success when I teach them something and they do it better than me ,I find success when a new student who is not capable of kicking high or stretch full but try his/her 100% to learn , I find success in the smile of small children from their heart

Have you ever studied any other martial art apart from karate and, if so, how do they compare?
Yes I did try to learn other kinds of martial arts but I don't compare any martial arts with each other because for me each type of martial arts gives us opportunity to learn something new.

What are you most looking forward to over the coming months?
For upcoming month there are so many competition going to be held especially junior karate competition so I'm focused on that.

If you had any one piece of advice for a person starting out on their karate journey, what would it be?

For those who are going to start their journey of karate I want to tell them that every champion was beginner when he/she started their journey. No matter how many times u fell down always keep learning. Don't set your goal for winning medal rather than set your goal for learning and developing your skill.

Thank you Sanjeev for such an interesting interview. We wish you and all students at the Manakamana karate dojo, the very best of luck and good fortune in all that you do.


06 October 2016

The mind was willing; the body not so!

 Zenshin dojo coach Phil shares his journey so far.

What's your position in the club and your graded level? 

My current grade is as a 2nd Dan, which I achieved in 2010 after going through ‘Hell Hill’ at Hartpury for the first ever 2nd Dan  assessment. It was certainly a challenge; however, after completing it I certainly felt a great deal of self  satisfaction at having pushed myself to the limit, and beyond, successfully. As for my position, after starting the Bath venue as joint instructors with Pete , in 2010, I now lead the Saturday morning session at the Grange School.
Lastly, I also assist with  arranging the assessments for blue belt upwards to try and help alleviate some of the work load on Rob. Rob, Liz or I will run the  assessments acting as the Grading Instructor on the day to ensure the candidates have the very best opportunity to gain useful feedback from those assessing their current level of practice.

How long have you been practicing karate and why did you start in the first place?

I've been practicing since July 2001. I started after my son Ryan had started earlier in the year. I remember the moment I decided to try  Karate - It was whilst I was videoing a bo kata at the Grange during their summer fete where the adults and junior groups were doing some demonstrations. After watching the kata I decided to sign up and later that month attended the Junior Summer School at Lancaster with Ryan and insisted I had a Gi to go with.

What do you find more satisfying, teaching or practicing and why?

Hmmm, a tough one as I enjoy both very much. I  suppose, as you come up through the grades, the learning is of course fun and fulfilling. However, I've  always enjoyed teaching, even as a blue or brown belt helping out in lessons. If I had to choose now I would go for teaching. Not only
because sometimes I find it difficult to practice to the level I wish to, because of the old knees and back, but mainly because I enjoy helping others to try and reach their full potential. If I can help others with the knowledge I've gained over the last 11 years and if they can one day be at a level which surpasses my own knowledge then, hopefully, I will have assisted in them getting there. Giving back is what it's all about!
I've also found that  teaching is also a great way to learn. Having to explain and think about how and what to teach to all  different grades opens up a whole new thought process and understanding for all aspects of our karate.

Describe how .you yourself understand our karate journey.

Each and everyone's  journey is their own. No two are alike and you forge your own path by how you study and commit to the task in hand.

What has been your  biggest challenge during your time at Zenshin and what has been your biggest success (or what are you most proud of)?

My biggest challenges have been recovering from a back fusion, hip operation where my femur was split lengthways for a clean out and two operations on each of my knees again for a clean out. I still suffer regularly from the pain of these and struggle through most weeks. I  continue to try and resolve these issues but it is a  constant uphill struggle.
My proudest moment was when my son, Ryan, got his junior black belt back in 2005 at the junior summer school in Lancaster.
As for my biggest  success - learning how to teach, hopefully! It's an art which not everyone finds easy and is a skill like all others, which must be learnt. It is also an ongoing  experience, constantly changing and I'm always learning from the  experiences.

Have you ever studied any other martial art apart from karate and, if so, how do they compare?

No I haven't.

Do you have a favourite or favoured karate  technique and, if so, why do you like it so much? 

I don't have any particular technique I favour. I  suppose my favourite is whatever is needed at the time.

Do you enjoy martial arts movies and if you do, do you have a favourite?

I do enjoy watching martial art movies, but none in  particular.

If you had any one piece of advice to give a pupil just starting out on their karate journey what would it be?

To always try your best and put everything into every practice.

What would you have  written on your karate headstone? 

The mind was willing; the body not so!





02 October 2016

Karate - What's in a name?

Mention the word karate to most people outside the karate world and it probably conjures up images of breaking bricks, strange howling noises and aggressive posturing. To some it might even suggest the Olympics. But in our experience most people are unaware of the breadth and variety of karate styles and philosophies. The phrase “horses for courses comes” to mind. If you want to win medals, break bricks or hit ten bales out of each other, then there are clubs that can offer those experiences, but not all karate clubs are the same.

Of course we practice all the necessary elements for learning a vibrant and effective self defence system, designed to deal with domestic physical violence, but the sometimes overtly aggressive image of karate can surely be a big put off for a large portion of the general population. We suggest that generally, fighting and the more romantic elements to Japanese martial arts, such as etiquette and the Samurai, or budo tradition, predominantly appeal to the young, usually young men. This is not to say others are not attracted by the allure of martial arts, of course many are, but we’re talking about the greater population, people who may possibly once have heard of Bruce Lee but that’s about it. People who refer to karate, judo and Tae Kwon do as,  “it’s all the same… isn’t it?”

We’re convinced that the power of karate could touch more people’s lives if they were just not turned off by the word karate, or those media induced misconceptions.

In today’s world it’s easy to lose focus.  For parents of a certain age, mums and dads, perhaps their children are getting older, flying the nest, for others maybe their job isn’t providing the buzz it once did, or never did. For sporty types maybe their sporting ambitions or aspirations have reached their natural conclusion, because the legs, or body, aren’t like they used to be!

But regular exercise, intellectual focus and spiritual direction continue to be important if we want to make sense of the world and remain stable when things occasionally fall around us.

Karate practice can offer that stability. Metaphorically karate, like life, is a path. Sometimes the path is easy to navigate; other times its muddy and unpleasant but the message is a simple one, stay on the path and keep moving forward whatever the weather. But like all paths this one needs a destination, an objective. 

The wise Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland recognises this as Alice arrives at a fork in the road, “where do you want to go?” asks the Cheshire cat, “I don’t know” replied Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which road you take!” said the cat smiling.

Karate can provide a map for a person’s path, and offers a chance to, keep motivated, healthy and push beyond personal limitations. We know we’re bias but frankly karate is so much more than hitting a piece of wood, or bowing to a sensei. Our art needs smart, intelligent advertising which broadens appeal reaching beyond the twenty somethings into the hearts and minds of mature adults who can fall in love with this martial art, just like we did!

27 September 2016

The View from Bath

Zenshin Dojo instructor Pete let himself be cornered for a round of questions and answers.

What's your position in the club and your graded level? 

Sole instructor at Bath Club; 3rd Dan.

Tell us more about the Bath based club you run. For  example, can you tell us about the history of the Bath class and what sort of practices visitors to the club might face? 

It was started in June 2009 by myself and Phil. Since Phil moved to take on Warmley on Sundays, it has been just me, though I get help on  occasions Typically, after warm-up, we tend to start with some kihon, which can last from five minutes to 80 minutes, depending on how bad a day I’ve had at work! If there’s anytime left after this (which there is normally, at least an hour) we’ll investigate  anything from kata, kihon (again), kicks, kumite,  moving practice to weapons practices. We recently spent several weeks learning Jo vs Bokken and Jo kata. I try and spend one week each month on each of the ‘Ks’ (kihon, kata and kumite), though that doesn’t always work.

 How long have you been  practicing karate and why did you start in the first place? 

18 years. My earliest interest in things ‘Martial Arts’ was watching the TV series ‘Monkey’; what a classic series! Then, I spent my teenage years watching martial arts films (Jean-Claude, Steven Seagal and Bruce Lee) and wishing I had the impetus to find a club and practice. It was only when my wife Hanna and I moved to Bristol, in 1997, that I  managed to persuade Hanna to ring Rob and the rest, as they say, is history.

What do you find more  satisfying, teaching or  practicing and why? 

Practicing, because I can get a real sweat on – that’s hard to do on a regular basis when  teaching. However, there’s  always something nice at the end of a practice, when at least one of your students has grasped the main point of the practice.

Describe how you yourself  understand our karate  journey. 

I can’t tell you about ‘your’ journey, as each journey, by its very nature, becomes a personal
one. Mine is ongoing….sorry, if that’s not helpful.

How would you  differentiate between Yin and Yang energy?  

Hmm, tricky! I think  everyone is aware of the description of Yin and Yang and the Taijitu  symbol, where there is always a little bit of Yin (white) in Yang (black) and vice versa. For me Yin is an ‘accepting’ energy whilst Yang is ‘giving’. So to try and interpret that with kata, the techniques carried out in a Yin manner would be of a more  receiving and re-directing nature, be it a defensive or attacking movement, whist Yang is attacking and/or entering, irrespective of the type of movement. Specifically, a Shuto-uke as a Yin movement, may use the initial hand to shoulder movement to bring your attacker in and past, or the outward movement may be to grasp/re-direct as you move into the next  movement rather than to strike, whilst a Yang gedan -barai would be done entering your opponent’s space rather than just  re-directing the punch/kick. But remember there is always some Yin in Yang and vice versa.

What has been your biggest challenge during your time at Zenshin and what has been your biggest success (or what are you most proud of)? 

I think it probably lies outside of practice, where over the last few years, Hanna and I have been on several trips to Italy and Japan without Rob, and he’s asked me to be his spokesperson. It may surprise people (or not), but I am not a confident person, at least I wasn’t 18 years ago, and standing up in front of 50  Italians and 7 Japanese or 25 Japanese and a similar  number of Italians and thanking them for their  hospitality, friendship and presenting and receiving gifts on behalf of my sensei is a daunting prospect (as you know Justin, having been part of at least one of those  moments).

To answer your second  question, I guess the biggest success I have had is that same growth in confidence, and not because I’m a 3rd dan… but more because I have become more confident in my ability to deal with life and awkward situations, and I put that down to 18 years of Rob’s teaching and practicing with all the various other 5th dans, international friends, together with all my peers and friends within Zenshin and, Formerly, Keynsham Shotokai.

Have you ever studied any other martial art apart from karate and, if so, how do they compare?

We (me and Hanna) have both practiced Tai Chi and are still practicing Aikido. Tai Chi was very useful as it had some very similar practices like ‘sticky hands’, though the emphasis can be subtly different. Hanna reminded me that Phil and I did try Kendo for a few weeks, which was intriguing, but not quite for me. Qigong with Rob is  always a great practice, very relaxing and tough whilst giving you the chance to  investigate how your own body moves, and whether it is your body that moves you, or you that moves your body.  Finally, Aikido, this to me has an awful lot in common with Egami Sensei’s style of  karate, as practised by the Yutenkai Masters. Anyone who has practiced with the Yutenkai, will have practised quite a lot of the underlying aikido techniques in a karate manner as I’ve learnt them, so the years we’ve spent practicing aikido have been enjoyable and useful. That combined with a surprising similarity with a number of the KU techniques (though the application and flow can be quite different), leads me to think that certainly aikido and our approach to karate are very similar with just subtle changes in emphasis differentiating them.

Do you have a favourite or favoured karate technique and, if so, why do you like it so much? 

As nothing comes immediately to mind, I would say that means ‘No’.

Do you enjoy martial arts movies and if you do, do you have a favourite? 

As you well know, I do enjoy a good chop-socky flick. As for a favourite, this was a difficult one. There are several  contenders, but I guess if you ignore ‘samurai’  movies, then probably Bloodsport, or Hard to Kill. However, if samurai  movies are included, then 13 Assasins, or The Last Samurai would be in the list too.

If you had any one piece of advice to someone starting out on their  karate journey what would it be? 

Take your time and enjoy it. It’s not a race.

What do you think makes a good karate  practitioner? 

An open mind, plus a  willingness to learn and to try different things. Also flexibility (not necessarily physical) and, most of all, patience.

Do you still run semi regular curry nights? 

Yup, five or six times a year we have a curry after practice for all those people who attend Bath on a regular basis.

What would you have  written on your karate headstone? 

‘Do as I say, not as I do’ or, ‘Relax, relax.’

23 September 2016

Adults learning alongside young children, can it ever work?

There are clubs that offer “family” karate training, or mixed aged classes, i.e. adults AND children practising together.  Far be it from me to judge anyone's club, and if it works for them, great!  I just don't understand the learning objectives of mixed aged classes. I'm not talking about adults with teenagers and some 12 year olds, may possibly be physically strong and intellectually developed enough to cope. I'm referring to adults learning and practising karate with even younger children.

From time to time we receive enquiries from parents who wish to join our club with their child (often very young child).  When I explain we don’t run such classes they seem surprised, and sometimes even offended.

But am I missing something? Is there any real value in such classes?  I can understand a parent wanting to support a hesitant or reluctant child find their feet. I can even understand parents helping, by holding pads etc, but why does any parent think, they could possibly receive karate tuition appropriate for them in any of those circumstances?

I just don’t get it?







OK, they could stand next to their child and perform kihon, maybe.  They may also get away with learning the odd kata or two, but never to a particularly high  standard.  I just can’t see the logic behind their request?? The only thing that makes sense is if there is a class of adults and a class of kids practising, simultaneously, "side by side," in the same hall. I'm sure that happens and perhaps it works on some level.



It’s probably stating the obvious but, adults and children learn in different ways!  Age appropriate language is of less importance to a group of adults. Attention spans tend to be less in children, (although not always!) And warm up exercises; will the child be doing as much, and to the same level as their dad? 

But all that aside what about the activity itself, karate!  It’s about responding to physical violence, and training methods for adults are much more intense than for children, even teenagers.When receiving these bizarre requests I feel like saying, would you sit in a primary school class and expect to learn anything?

Maybe I’m missing something obvious, maybe I’ve got it all wrong? But karate is a serious physical activity with profound personal benefits, but those deeper meaningful benefits often only manifest themselves after many years of training.  

I totally accept that karate is great for kids, but surely only when they learn and practice within a group of their peers and not their parents.

22 September 2016

‘Karate-Do: My Way of Life.’ A 2nd kyu Perspective

Emily 2nd kyu shares her thoughts after reading Funakoshi’s book: ‘Karate-Do: My Way of Life.’

Gichin Funakoshi is known as the ‘father of modern karate’. He was instrumental in spreading karate across Japan and throughout the world and wrote many significant texts.  Karate-Do Kyohan: The Master Text was the first comprehensive guide to kata, kumite and the history of karate for a modern audience. It is still widely referred to,including by our own club.  Funakoshi’s autobiography Karate-Do: My Way of Life is a surprisingly slim volume given these achievements and written in a highly accessible way. It covers a lot of material for such a compact book, and I’d highly recommend it.  
As I was reading My Way of Life, a number of key points stood out, these made me stop and think. Your interpretations may well be different, but here I have attempted to distil them into my own take-home messages.   1) It was hard for me to imagine Funakoshi as anything other than a karate master, but he actually started life as a ‘sickly baby and a frail child’. He didn’t immediately take to karate after starting it, but soon a virtuous cycle began flowing. Studying karate and practicing regularly made his body and mind stronger. This made him more vigorous in his training, which made him even stronger and so on. 

My take-home message from this: Slow beginnings are insignificant if you persevere. Every journey is different. 

 2) Much of karate’s history is lost to the vagaries of time. Had it not been for Funakoshi we’d have so much less to go on, but many elements of kata, particularly the applications, are retrofitted – added in after as potential explanations. Even the word ‘karate’ itself has ambiguity. In Japanese it could mean ‘empty hand’ or ‘Chinese hand’, referring to karate’s lack of weapons or its origins in Chinese boxing respectively. Funakoshi debated these two interpretations as he planned his texts. He eventually favoured ‘empty hand’, but acknowledges this is primarily ‘conjecture’, and recognises the merits of both. This is a very different attitude to simply saying: ‘We don’t know!’ and I’ve seen it in action at Zenshin too.   Practicing a succession of possible applications of a single kata movement demonstrates anything but ignorance. Instead it evokes flexibility and readiness for a range of real-world situations. To me this seems far more useful than telling yourself there’s only one way to be right! Take home: Ambiguity is necessary for flexibility. Embrace it.  
3) Funakoshi describes a man who claimed he could teach a nukite so strong that ‘a man may penetrate his adversary’s rib cage, take hold of the bones, and tear them out of the body’. If video games had been invented at the time, perhaps Funakoshi would have suggested this chap had played a bit too much Mortal Kombat! As it was, he spoke scornfully of braggarts and charlatans like this a number of times. By contrast, Funakoshi remains incredibly modest about his own work and abilities. Speaking of his entire life’s work bringing karate to the masses, he says: ‘As for my own role, I feel it has been no more than that of an introducer… one who was blessed by both time and chance to appear at the  opportune moment.’

Take-home: Be humble, don’t show off… and don’t go around telling people that you can make them perform impossible feats of mutilation!


4) Even in the early days, Funakoshi was adamant that karate was for everyone – boy, girl, woman and man. His whole family trained at karate, and he was particularly proud of his wife’s abilities. Despite this, he recognises there are certain mind -sets that do not mix well with his concept of karate. He considers people, who signed up to his dojo purely because they’re spoiling for a fight, noting: ‘It is quite impossible for any young person whose objective is so foolish to continue very long at karate’. However, ‘those with a higher ideal… will find that the harder they train, the more fascinating the art becomes’. 
Before joining Zenshin, I had a brief stint with a rather different karate group where emphasis was actively placed on combat. I reckon I know which Funakoshi would have been more approving of!

Take-home: The attitude of seeking to better oneself has a far higher bearing on success in karate than age, build or gender.  



5) Funakoshi writes: ‘Any place can be a dojo’. He cites prudence and humility as virtues of karate and these certainly aren’t limited to the training hall. Via a number of anecdotes we are further reminded that we lose nothing from politeness, civility and acceptance. In one example, he tells us of his daily visits to a Japanese public bath where clients are greeted upon arriving and leaving by an attendant. He used to pass silently by this member of staff, but one day realised he was not practising as he preached in his karate sessions. He started to smile and returned the attendant’s greetings, which subsequently ‘grew warmer and more personal’. Such a small change easily improved the daily lives of both participants. As for the relevance of this to karate, Funakoshi believed: ‘The mind of the true karate-ka should be imbued with such concern before he turns his attention to his body and the refinement of his technique’.


Take-home: Don’t let the karate finish just because you’ve left the dojo. Be excellent…  

20 September 2016

An Interview with Karim

Zenshin dojo newsletter editor, Justin, interviews Zenshin dojo stalwart Karim about his karate journey and personal  challenges.


What's your position in the club and your graded level?
First Dan.  
How long have you been  practising karate and why did you start in the first place?
It's a long story. When I reached the age 40 I was suddenly hit by two strange urges - one was to do some exercise, as I hadn't done any since leaving school. The second was to do something for others. 
Incidentally I had long been keen to visit Cuba before Fidel Castro died. So imagine my surprise when I opened a newspaper one morning and saw an advert for a charity cycle ride across Cuba. Feeling that some things are meant to be, I signed up and started training to cycle from Havana to Trinidad to raise funds for the National Deaf Children’s Society. At the same time my five year old son joined the junior karate club, “KEBBA” and shortly afterwards my wife joined Zenshin dojo. Once I’d completed the cycle ride, and still keen to keep up some regular exercise, joining Zenshin seemed a natural step. So in March 2003 I joined the Cotham class.
What do you find more satisfying, teaching or practising and why?
I am happy to help wherever I can, whether it is taking some new starters through some Kihon or covering the odd class when an instructor can't make it. I do enjoy it and get a lot from it. On the other hand I am also very conscious of having a lot to learn and of having to remember what I learnt last week. So I am happy to just turn up and go with it whatever we are doing. 
Describe how you yourself understand our karate journey?
Well it’s certainly a journey and not a race. Also I don't see it as one continuous one way journey necessarily either. More of a grand tour of many places. You can visit Paris for the weekend and get a feel for it or you can spend years there and still not see all of it. At the risk of overdoing the metaphor, the black belts have a role as tour guides to help you get the most from your time there. If you revisit a place after a few months you notice things you didn't see the first time round.
How would you differentiate between Yin and Yang energy?
I think that in some social situations it is much easier to instinctively know when to be yin and when to be yang.  Imagine returning some faulty purchase to a shop in order to get a refund. Initially you might begin by quietly stating the facts and calmly asking for your money back. If you get an apologetic, empathetic, positive response you might find your yin approach has done the job effectively. If you are met with casual indifference and rudeness, you might feel the red mist descending and decide to engage some yang energy to make your point more directly, loudly, dynamically. Depending on the reaction, you may feel that you have made your point and revert to a calmer style. In those sorts of situations, it would be much more natural and instinctive for me as to when to be yin and when to be yang. Also moving from one to the other and recognising elements of one in the other would be clearer. Translating that into a karate situation, I find much more difficult and it is going to take me a lot more practice. I often think of this article I read a while back that you might find interesting:   http://www.travisdharma.com/ yin-yang-balance-in-everydaylife/
What has been your biggest challenge during your time at Zenshin and what has been your biggest success (or what are you most proud of)?
I think the hardest time for me was the transition from blue to brown belt. I had to learn to change my breathing to get through the assessment; and my biggest success? It has to be making it to black belt at Winter School in Largs, Scotland.
Have you ever studied any other martial art apart from karate and, if so, how do they compare?
Yes, I studied Judo for a few years as a teenager. I spent three years being thrown around a dojo but it did give me a lot of opportunity to practice break-falls. In terms of similarities, Judo focussed a lot on using the whole body, fluid movement and using an opponent’s energy against him/her. It was very much about using throws and sweeps to get an opponent on the ground and then using holds and locks to immobilise them. It complements our style of karate very well as we have seen when we have had sessions on break-falls and on ground- work.
Do you have a favourite or favoured karate technique and, if so, why do you like it so much?
I have to admit that I do love techniques that give maximum impact for minimum effort and have a high success rate. So, for example, in the Heian Nidan bunkai, that wrist lock and take down following a lapel grab. I think it is interesting how your thought process affects your chances of success. When Rob demonstrates a technique it almost always works. He approaches it with 100 percent belief that it will work because he has done it successfully so many times before. If my techniques work 30% or 40% of the time then I don't approach it with the same confidence. So I prefer the ones that work more effectively for me, but I need to work on getting my success rate up on the others. 
Do you enjoy martial arts movies and if you do, do you have a favourite?
I do like some of the older classics like The Big Boss and Enter the Dragon, but I'm not so keen on some of the newer stuff involving jumping onto roofs two stories above using badly hidden wires. My favourite modern classic has to be Kung Fu Panda.
What are you most looking forward to over the coming months in and around Zenshin?
I just enjoy practising with the most supportive people you could wish for.
If you had any one piece of advice starting out on their karate journey what would it be?
I always liked that Jim Rohn quote. ‘Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.’
How has karate informed your life outside of the dojo and, conversely, how has your life outside of the dojo informed your experiences in it?
Karate definitely does seem to work its way into everything we do. It started off with simple things like taking the stairs two at a time to feel the burn in my legs; then trying to do a perfect Hachi Dachi while  waiting for a lift; and then stepping side-ways - irimi style - into the lift as someone was leaving it and thinking did I enter or evade them? At first I thought it was just me, but now I think we are all doing it.  I have been told by people at work that I am calmer and more open to listen to the views of others since I started karate. My life outside the dojo does also influence my karate. For example, there are some elements at work that I can do quite naturally, confidently and with a degree of unconscious competence. That is the feeling that I am aiming for in karate. For some it comes naturally and others have to work at it.  Unfortunately I am one of those who has to really work at it, but at least I know what I am aiming for.
What would you have written on your karate headstone?
Sorry I'm late!