Martial Paths

"Can I learn self-defense in 6 months?" It's a common question with an easier answer. No.... Based on my XP as an instructor, it takes people 6 months just learn the name of the techniques they’re trying to learn, never mind performing them. Unless you train every single day for at least an hour on top of your twice-a-week classes for 6 months. The biggest misconception about self-defense is people seem to be under the impression they can just download the information in a short amount of time and then carry on with their lives. Memorization of a technique is not enough. Muscle memory takes time to build in order to become proficient enough for you to operate in nano-second circumstances like a street fight. Even if you do manage this feat of humanity in 6 months because you’re a freak of nature, then what? Do you know you have to continue this rigorous pace just to maintain your newfound skill set? It will disappear. The cardio goes away first in about 2 weeks. Then strength gains fade. Eventually, muscle memory vanishes and even the memory itself dissipates to nothingness. Best of all, as you age, this process happens faster!!! -Sensei Jim

Bagua Zhang for Longevity and Regeneration Living well into your old age, so that your golden years are truly enjoyed, provides strong motivation for learning... bagua zhang(bagua/pakua). Bagua zhang practices help prevent disease and injury andshould stress and illness occurenable you to recover and heal more quickly. Bagua zhang practices are also rejuvenation tools. Read more: https://www.energyarts.com/benefits-of-internal-martial-ar/

Upon a closer look... The classic photo from the 1936 meeting of the masters, back row standing L-R: Gusukuma Shimpan, Maeshiro Choryu, Chibana Choshin, Nakasone Genwa. Seated L-R: Bernie Sanders, Kyan Chotoku, Kentsu Yabu, Hanashiro Chomo and Miyagi Chojun.

***In the spirit of transparency, most of this article was written over a year ago. Of course, we all understand what has happened since. Let’s face it 2020 was a s***show with violent protests and riots erupting across North America and the world, presumably exploding violent statistics everywhere. The stats cited in this article are bad. Real bad. Somehow, we made it worse. Jim... http://www.martialpaths.ca/violence-in-canada/

http://www.martialpaths.ca/the-lost-arts-1-skipping-rope/

When I was researching karate and kobudo back in the 1970s and 1980s, I decided to record rather than question. However, there were a few incongruous issues I d...id want to challenge some the teachers with. One of these was the origin of the nunchaku, or common-and-garden flail - as pictured in my now 50-year-old beauty (photo 1). Several teachers, including Shoshin Nagamine (photos 2 & 3) told me that nunchaku were derived from the Okinawan horse bridle (photo 4). At the time, I knew this to be ridiculous, but never challenged the issue; because it was just so daft, I guess. Over time, I even found replica rice flails on show at Shuri museum (photo 5) and knew from my world travels and general knowledge of history that a flail is a flail. It is not even a case of a rose by any other name, because whether it is used for de-husking rice or wheat, or conceived as a ‘street weapon’, a nunchaku is a flail and has no connection with a horse bridle whatsoever there are no two or three ways about it, even if is a three-rod flail (photo 5). So where did this horse-bridle-false-history stem from? Well, my research showed that much of the historic misinformation about kobudo stemmed from, or was made up by Shinken Taira (1897-1970); probably to be politically correct in the post-War era, when bushido was rather unpopular and Okinawans needed to put themselves over as humble farmers to their new American overlords. Shinken Taira came from Kume Island where there had once been a petty uprising during the Satsuma years, but it was more the influence of the Chinese Boxer rebellion of 1900, that sparked much of the overall fake history concerning Okinawan martial arts sort of toxic historic overflow! To clarify this 'Okinawan-farmer-rebellion-using-tools' nonsense that is so often put forward as fact about Ryukyuan history and kobudo, let me quote from George H. Kerr’s informative book, ‘Okinawa, the History of an Island People’: No evidence can be found to suggest that the Okinawans at any time contemplated an attempt to throw off Japanese [i.e. Satsuma’s] controls; nevertheless, in 1669 Satsuma saw to it that the Shuri government’s swordsmithy was abolished, putting an end to the manufacture of swords for ceremonial use So enough of this farmers’ tools becoming weapons stuff-and-nonsense, please; it is the sort of childish plot that fairy tales are made of and a discredit to the highly evolved bushido martial arts and culture of Okinawa during its historic past. Whatever, when you train with a nunchaku, keep it for that (photos 6 & 7) by training WITHOUT malicious intent. And, if you want to make a nunchaku, here is a scale drawing (photo 8): End of story!!!

http://www.martialpaths.ca/creativity-comprehension-interp/

It's cold outside, so I'm working indoors. Here's a new article. http://www.martialpaths.ca/training-discipline-violence-in/

These are great examples of Bunkai. I like to challenge practitioners of Karate to create 10 different interpretations of one technique available in a kata/form. This is when Kata really opens up.

When you see it say got it. Don't give it away

Finally. #newdojo #karate #jiujitsu #taichi #kickboxing #kungfu #chikung #homeoffice #homereno @qwchamber @choiceconcreteservice

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3x_s42x0Iz8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8l1eSpid3E