Archives for Articles

Karatedo Shurenkan – Sensei Miguel Rios

Recently my mind has been stirring. I find myself held hostage to a seemingly endless cascade of thoughts on the nature of Karate and Budo. Sometimes my martial musings deal with the mundane– technique, strategy, applications, etc. These are easy enough to deal with…I pick up a pen and paper and give them form, until... Read More »

The Next Generation

The Next Generation

A parent, whose child has been training with us for a couple of years, sent me this essay written by her son as part of his middle school application process. It floored me that I had so much in common with a 10 year old’s training experience. I too have changed a lot and have... Read More »

Brazilian Ju Jitsu – Spiral Space

Written by Chad Smith Sometimes when I get to roll with Professor, the experience is nothing short of mind blowing. He does what he does, slowly, methodically, relaxed, laughing. But the positions are exotic to my white belt student mind. Position is a terribly inadequate word, implying that what he does is understandable in a... Read More »

Knee strengthening

What exercises can I do to strengthen the joints, particularly the knee joints? Full range of motion is ideal for keeping the joint healthy. The knee joint is best described as a  hinge joint, not a ball and socket joint. It bends and straightens. -with a slight rotational torque. I see many people warming up... Read More »

Flexibility in kicks

There is much confusion out in the world surrounding the issue of flexibility. Contrary to popular understanding, stretching alone does not create flexibility, nor is hyper-flexibility a desirable state, no matter how good it may look to those of us made of less rubbery stuff. Leg stretching exercises should be performed with proper support and... Read More »