Tag: karate

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Why Being On A Programme Is Important

Steve Rowe

Martial art classes are so random because: It’s rare that the same people turn up each time. Even with lesson plans, to cater for a group that are at different places in their learning and have patchty attendance is difficult. Classes are generally treated more like gym training these days so a ‘workout’ tends to take precedence over skill learning. The teacher often teaches what they’re enthusiastic about or what the students want rather than what they need. My Tai Chi programme is so successful because: The programme is highly structured. The same people attend every month. They pay enough … Continue reading Why Being On A Programme Is Important

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How To Get ‘In The Zone’

Steve Rowe

The window of ‘maximum depth and efficiency’ in your training session. You cannot waste this precious time. In coaching and my Tai Chi Programme we talk about preparation and warm up for this phase, how to structure it and how cool down from it. The important thing to understand is that with practice, how deep, profound and insightful this window can be and why it’s important to recognise and not waste it. In our sessions we talk about ‘waiting for Tai Chi to arrive’ Tai Chi being the perfect balanced state. Preparing to train is important, the acts of hygiene, … Continue reading How To Get ‘In The Zone’

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FOMO In The Martial Arts

Steve Rowe

Sometimes I wonder whether too many martial arts teachers suffer from FOMO (fear of missing out). We are supposed to be strong independent people knowing exactly what we’re doing and where we’re going and not influenced by outside forces. But the pressure from social media does seem to produce this fear that if we don’t follow certain trends that we’re missing out. If we don’t cross train in other arts, run seminars with certain instructors, attend events and certified courses, manage our club in a certain way, make fools of ourselves with ‘entertaining’ reels and videos, advertise within the current … Continue reading FOMO In The Martial Arts

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The Left Hand Path

Steve Rowe

Walking the left hand path. There are those that loyally carry the treasure chest of their system from generation to generation. They will say “I teach exactly as I was taught”. Not every generation will have innovators that are capable of developing a system to make it better, so the carriers have an important role until someone can unlock the chest, penetrate the ideas of the system and make them better.. These are the people that walk the left hand path. They take the instructions and then practice and internalise the skills until they become them, but don’t stop there. … Continue reading The Left Hand Path

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Everyone Has A Story

Steve Rowe

As the government turns on people with disabilities, removing independence payments and most importantly social help of all kinds, no one can understand the full import of what becoming disabled means. We all have a different story and I’m lucky that I’m still able to work and support myself, with a lot of family, friends and students around me to help. Others are not so lucky. Having been an independent, fit, strong career martial artist for most of my life, becoming disabled and losing my leg meant that I lost 95% of my life. If asked if I would rather … Continue reading Everyone Has A Story

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Legacy In Martial Arts

Steve Rowe

As they age I think most martial art teachers wonder what will happen to their club and teachings when they pass. Legacy has changed as martial arts have moved from east to west and integrated. No longer do we have a style passed through family or club as the idea of ‘family’ and ‘secrets’ has largely been shown to be false and not work. It’s rare that sons and daughters carry the talent of an originator and even if they do, for it to go down through more generations is almost impossible. There are no secrets, as the formula for … Continue reading Legacy In Martial Arts

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Moving Chi

Steve Rowe

‘There is stillness in movement and movement in stillness’ – Yang Chen Fu This skill can be used in ALL martial arts, adding the internal to the external. Neigong (inner work)In stillness, (meditation and standing postures) we learn to open our body, opening the joints, fascia, lungs and empty spaces filling them with chi energy. We attach and harmonise our mind to our energy and breath (Sanchin, Saamchin) using our attention and intention to ‘follow our breath’ we stimulate and move the energy around the body. In the standing postures we learn to use intelligent and alchemised emotion to colour … Continue reading Moving Chi

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Professional Help

Steve Rowe

When you need professional help. When we want to learn martial arts, if we are clever enough we do our due diligence and find a good coach. We check history, who they’ve successfully coached, qualifications and what kind of person they are. It’s a serious and can be a life altering decision. When we finally become a coach, running a club means we have to be able to deal with grading and training programmes, coaching qualifications, tournament programmes, property management, accounts, recruitment, managing others, student welfare, social media, AI, our own professional development, governing bodies, health and safety and so … Continue reading Professional Help

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Your Belly Button Is Important!

Steve Rowe

Your belly button is important! Twisting the waist against the hips and releasing it is the biggest power source we have in the martial arts, but far too few practitioners are able to use it. When twisting the waist most practitioners turn either the hips or shoulders instead, either collapsing the knees and/or leaving the waist motionless. Kata like Naihanchi and exercises like Chan Si Jing in Tai Chi are structured to learn this skill. If you adopt an internally rotated stance like Naihanchi Dachi in Karate or Ma Bu in Tai Chi fixing the hips to face forward and … Continue reading Your Belly Button Is Important!

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Club Demons

Steve Rowe

When an over enthusiastic person joins your club and tries to ingratiate themselves really quickly you have to be careful. Red flags can be: Being too friendly and trying to command attention in class. Using unnecessary titles to flatter you that you don’t use, like ‘Master’, ‘Shihan’ and attaching themselves to them on here like “my Tai Chi Master….” Volunteering to take on tasks and/or trying to form business partnerships using your background to their advantage. Trying to include you in their social life and pushing themselves into yours. Doing unnecessary favours without being asked. Gossiping to separate students and … Continue reading Club Demons