Martial Arts Quote

I don't know who came up with this gem, but I like it.

"There are two rules for being a successful Martial Artist.
Rule 1: Never tell others everything you know."

Do You Need To Speak The Language?

One of my concerns when I first started training in Japan, was how I would cope with training, given my limited Japanese language skills.

I need not have worried. Although the classes are in Japanese, the instruction has been excellent. Admittedly my instructors sometimes use gestures to get a point across.

The best thing about my slowly increasing language skills, (thanks to private tuition and JapanesePod 101) has been the fact that I can socialise more with the people at training. (^_^)

Training Tip

When is the last time you trained away from your normal dojo/kwoon?

If it's been a while or never, try some training at the beach, in a park or on some sloping ground etc.

The change is usually fun, good for your motivation and you can learn a lot about you and your art.

Enjoy!!!

Owari Kan Ryu

My introduction to Owari Kan Ryu was seeing a group of practitioners walk onto stage with almost 12 foot yari (spears). I thought to myself "how in the world do they control them?" Their demonstration of their sojutsu (spear art) soon showed me how much control they had over their weapons.

Owari Kan Ryu is a yari based koryu (traditional system) based primarily in Aichi. A number of different yari are used including a tube yari, in which the the shaft of the yari slides through a tube or sleeve. This sleeve reduces friction and the speed, power and control that can be demonstrated is awesome. The system also incorporates some Shinkage Ryu sword work.

The demonstration I watched was excellent and I am looking forward to seeing more of this system while I am in Japan.

Martial Arts Quote

"He who hesitates, meditates in a horizontal position"

A very cool quote attributed to Ed Parker - American Kenpo