Tag: philosophy

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Disguised Buddhism

Steve Rowe

Disguised Buddhism “I went to a business guru meeting over the weekend, it was really motivating!”  Dan was telling the other black belts as they sat on the floor stretching, waiting for the Instructors class to start…. “How to win friends and influence people eh?”  It appears that Geoff was not so impressed. “And get rich quick!” Francis decided to join in the fun. “No, no, no,” said Dan, “that’s all very 1960’s!” “Not if you read the martial arts magazines and my spam emails it ain’t” said Geoff. “Seriously,” said Dan, “these people have grown since the early days, … Continue reading Disguised Buddhism

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Martial Arts Merchants

Steve Rowe

Martial Arts Merchants There was always a pile of old martial arts magazines in the corner of the Dojo for parents and students awaiting their classes to read.  It was reminiscent of the old fashioned barber shop with the tattered and slightly rude magazines lying around to read whilst you waited for your turn to get your hair cut – or the ancient pile of ‘Tatler’ and ‘Home and Garden’ in the dentist waiting room. Greg and Tanya were flicking through looking at the various adverts and articles with obvious distaste. “The Worlds greatest what?  How does he know?” “How … Continue reading Martial Arts Merchants

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It’s All About Respect

Steve Rowe

It’s All About Respect “OSSSSSS! It sounded strange as the visitor bowed and entered the Dojo. Why so strange? Because our etiquette is to stand quietly to attention and bow to Kamiza (the shrine) as we enter the Dojo and then toward Sensei.  The noise sounded really odd to us.  Sensei nodded in the direction of the guest and said no more. As if this was not enough, our visitor strode up to Sensei. “OSSSS!  Sensei!  My name is Raoul, I am a nidan from the Magrid Shotokan Academy under the instruction of Chimo Sensei.  I am here on holiday … Continue reading It’s All About Respect

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How To Do Kata

Steve Rowe

How To Do Kata What was it that made him so special? A middle aged man going through some Kata, he wasn’t that fast, he wasn’t that sharp, nothing like you would see in the Martial Art movies, absolutely nothing like you would see Kata performed at competitions…… and yet his was so much more……..  Whenever I watched Sensei practising I knew that I was witnessing something very special, something far deeper than just Karate…….  It was almost as if the perfect Kata was doing him……  It always struck me as “other worldly”…………… That was it!  He was putting nothing … Continue reading How To Do Kata

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Stand, Walk And Run Skills

Steve Rowe

Stand, Walk And Run Skills “Tonight, I’m going to teach you how to stand, walk and then run,” sifu waited for the statement to sink in. “Well excuse me sifu, I’ve only been practising that for the last 24 years,” said Jamie with an air of mock sarcasm. “And you’re not very good at it, are you….” Sifu answered with a statement more than a question.  “This is the problem, standing, walking and running are everyday uses of the human body, when we can do this skilfully, we are practicing our martial arts all of the time – and importantly, … Continue reading Stand, Walk And Run Skills

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Magpie Mind And Tai Chi

Steve Rowe

Magpie Mind And Tai Chi “You are all suffering from ‘magpie mind’….” Sifu looked around at the gathered class to see what effect his statement had. And of course it worked…. “Magpie mind? Wassat when it’s at home then Sifu?” asked Amanda. “It’s a mind that’s attracted to ‘shiny objects’” said Sifu. “You mean that we’re not concentrating on the form and our mind is wandering too much” queried Jane? “That can be a part of it,” replied Sifu, “but it’s more than that. Even when you are concentrating on the form, your mind is attracted to the ‘shiny objects’ … Continue reading Magpie Mind And Tai Chi

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The Internet And Martial Arts

Steve Rowe

The Internet And Martial Arts The ‘gang’ were sitting in the Dojo rest room watching youtube clips of martial art instruction and scanning the Martial Arts forums for information. Rob was a 30 year veteran of karate having started training under UK Japanese instructors and subsequently under various English instructors for the past few years in karate and different MMA. “I’m amazed at some of these older English instructors, they broke away from their Japanese instructors complaining that they were egomaniacs,  and that they were claiming that their training methods were ‘the only way’ and not allowing their students to … Continue reading The Internet And Martial Arts

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Sink, Swallow, Float And Spit

Steve Rowe

Sink, Swallow, Float And Spit I love sanchin, a ‘core’ kata to many karate systems, it adds the qigong aspect, harmonising mind, breath and body.  It consists of three sections gradually increasing the level of difficulty in physical co-ordination and breathing technique.  In the first section you move one side at a time opening and closing one side of the body with a whole breath followed by a half breath (to prevent dizziness), in the second section you move opening and closing both sides of the body at the same time flexing the spine  whilst taking deep breaths utilising the … Continue reading Sink, Swallow, Float And Spit

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Gossip In The Dojo

Steve Rowe

You could hear the shouting and scuffle from the men’s changing room in the Dojo, sensei walked in and pulled the two protagonists apart, both huffing an puffing like pair of old Billy goats with their chests inflated. “What an earth’s going on here?” asked sensei. “He’s been dissin’ me…” spat Michael, straining at the firm hand holding him back. “No I ain’t” said John with an obvious disdain and a look that you could tell would rip Michael a second backside any moment. “Settle down” said sensei firmly, “now Michael, explain..” “He said that I moved like a girl … Continue reading Gossip In The Dojo

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Yin Yang Tai Chi Method

Steve Rowe

“There are only 5 hands in taiji, the 2 major ones are yin and yang, yin is the peng principle and yang is the aun principle, they manifest themselves in a variety of ways, but the principles are always the same.” We were practicing our taiji.  These were some of my favourite lessons, karate was exciting, but taiji had that lovely smooth, powerful flow that made me feel invigorated. We were working through ‘Part the Wild Horses Mane’ in the third section of the form most commonly known as the Yang Chen Fu 108.  It’s an ingeniously crafted vehicle for … Continue reading Yin Yang Tai Chi Method