Author: Steve Rowe

Martial artist, philosopher, author, writer,
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The Stopped Breath…

Steve Rowe

Between breathing in and out, And between out and in, There is a magic Zen moment, A moment in which we can access infinity. We stop our breath to concentrate. To draw a straight line freehand, To listen intently, Before we pee or poo, And even before we vomit. A moment of perfect Zen. When we meditate, these are our magic moments. Like the pauses between waves rolling in and out. We learn to extend our Zen from these pauses. And how to extend and deepen our breathing. When in combat we can’t match breath to technique. So breathing has … Continue reading The Stopped Breath…

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The Best Martial Art And Teacher…

Steve Rowe

Watching a variety of YouTube Martial Art instructional videos I was struck by the extent of what I would call unintelligent reasoning going on.  What the Coaches were saying sounded like structured teaching, but in fact they were focusing on unimportant points in the technique – and how they were explaining them meant that, in my opinion, most students would not be able to perform the movement with any efficiency. Some students will get better despite the Coach and they will go on to teach in the way that they have been taught and more often than not students with … Continue reading The Best Martial Art And Teacher…

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Grading Problem…

Steve Rowe

Is there a difference between a popular instructor and a good instructor? A popular instructor is often a charismatic and friendly character and structures his training around what the students want to do.  “Popular” often means good businessman these days as well, marketing the club efficiently and ensuring its financial stability. The problem can be in finding the balance between popularity and good Martial Arts.  Often an Instructor works hard at getting his club off the ground, caring about the students and encouraging them as much as possible, as they progress through the grades a personal friendship develops.  Often the … Continue reading Grading Problem…

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Dave Hazard Interview 2003

Steve Rowe

This interview was recorded in July 2003 Dave Hazard is a living legend in Shotokan Karate.  He is typical of the depth of quality contained within the English Karate Governing Body.  One of the first to start the Art in the late 60’s, training at the famous Blackfriars Dojo under the late Enoeda Sensei, Dave was one of the first English Instructors to up sticks and make the journey to Japan to train at the Honbu Dojo of the Japan Karate Association, returning a year later as a Sandan graded by the late Nakayama Sensei, head of Shotokan Karate. An … Continue reading Dave Hazard Interview 2003

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The Alchemy Of Tai Chi Chuan

Steve Rowe

A strange challenge – in Beijing in the early 1800’s in the house of Prince Daun sat two men facing each other with their right fists pitted against the other. Yeung Lou Sim (also known as Yang Lu Cha’n) the founder of Yang style Tai Chi Chaun or “Soft Cotton Boxing” as it was commonly known had been teaching many nobles of the Qing dynasty refusing challenges until he had been made the “offer he couldn’t refuse” by a boxing master of high prestige……. Yeung Lou Sim sat calmly as the boxing master began to sweat profusely and his chair … Continue reading The Alchemy Of Tai Chi Chuan

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Peter Spanton Interview 2003

Steve Rowe

This Interview was conducted in 2003. I think it’s important for all Martial Artists to know what their roots are.  Month by month in this column I’ve been building up a picture of the people who were there at the birth of Karate in England.  Most Karateka will be able to trace their roots back to this handful of people.  It’s no coincidence that they are all members of one Governing Body, properly named The English Karate Governing Body. Peter Spanton was there from the start.  One of the first students of Tatsuo Suzuki at the Honbu Dojo in Clapham … Continue reading Peter Spanton Interview 2003

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Mick Gooch Interview 2003

Steve Rowe

This interview was published in January 2003 We need experienced Martial Artists to stay around and help the younger generation; far too many of them fade away and either stop training and teaching altogether or simply end up training on their own.  Therefore I was very happy to see Mick Gooch in fine form after a 14 year absence. Mick Gooch is one of those Kyokushin “names” from the Medway towns in Kent, along with Paul and Terry Owen, Dennis Jones and Norman King, Mick bought the Kyokushinkai style of Karate to Chatham.  Mick is a natural, easy going, likeable … Continue reading Mick Gooch Interview 2003

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Mick Billman Interview 2003

Steve Rowe

This interview was conducted in 2003. Mick Billman is one of those names that is well known in the higher echelons of the Karate world and particularly at National, European and World levels.  He has tirelessly served the English Karate Governing Body on the Technical and Executive Committees for many years and has now recently also been elected on to the Management Board of the restructured English Karate Governing Body Ltd. Mick sits on the Technical Committee for Europe and has done a sterling job in getting all our English representatives known and acknowledged at European and World level.  His … Continue reading Mick Billman Interview 2003

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Age With Dignity…

Steve Rowe

There’s nothing more undignified than an old person trying to behave like a younger one.  If you train well over the years, it’s only natural that you lose the aggression and ignorance of youth and the bullishness gives way to wisdom, emotional intelligence, cunning and skill.  A problem only arises  if you don’t continue learning and hanker after that which is past, then it can become embarrassing if the OAP is trying to convince everyone that he still ‘has it’ – a bit like your Grandad trying to dance on a nightclub floor to the latest music. When someone has been … Continue reading Age With Dignity…

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Buddhist Alchemy In The Martial Arts

Steve Rowe

“I don’t like any of that religious stuff in my martial arts…” You may not, but Buddhism is inextricably linked to the Martial Arts and it’s not religious in the formal sense.  Buddhism is simple, logical thinking in search of the truth – and that is in line with martial arts study.  A Buddhist is required to challenge what he is taught and to discover the truth for himself.  The term ‘Buddha’ means the ‘awakened one’, one who is awake to the truth. It’s often referred to as the ‘atheist religion’ as it has no gods or deities, it doesn’t … Continue reading Buddhist Alchemy In The Martial Arts