Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it.

Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it.

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it. ~Buddha

Honor and integrity are two words that are seemingly lost on our society today. This is clearly evident in the world, but unfortunately it is becoming all too common within Karatedo.

The kanji meaning for Kata is made up of three simple characters. The one in the upper left means 'Shape'. The one on the upper right means 'Cut'. The one on the bottom means 'Ground'. So therefore a Kata is a shape that cuts the ground.

The Kata is an artistic presentation in which all movement is defense and counters attack, and put together in a refined manner with no wasted effort. It is a sequence of movements, which are both defensive and attacking, performed as a result of several attacks.

Kata is a term meaning mould, model, style, shape, form, or data-type.
A Karate Kata is a set number of basic techniques arranged in order. Each Kata has its own character. Some Kata have a very heavy, solid, and robust feeling to them. While performing them you can imagine that you are ploughing through the enemy like a bull that cannot be stopped. Other Kata have a quick, light feeling to them and require acrobatics. When performing these Kata you can imagine yourself moving about from enemy to enemy so quickly that you never even get a good look at whom you are fighting. Some are more graceful and flowing in nature, and others are performed very slowly with great muscle tension. Each and every technique is executed as if it were the only technique to be performed and maximised to its fullest. Rather, it is the shape of the techniques, the speed at which they are performed, and the rhythm of the Kata itself that lends it character.

Interpretations of each Kata would reflect on the concepts of the written (kanji) form.
Basically a Kata is a set of prearranged fighting techniques put into a set, pattern or form.

Karate Kata can be split into three schools:

SHURI-TE: Pinan (Heian) Shodan, Pinan (Heian) Nidan, Pinan (Heian) Sandan, Pinan (Heian) Yodan, Pinan (Heian) Godan. Naifanchi. (Tekki) Shodan, (Tekki) Nidan, (Tekki) Sandan. Passai (Bassai) Dai, Sho. Ku-Shanku (Kanku) Dai, Sho, Shiho-ku-shanku. Ji-tte (Jutte). Ji-in. Ji-han (Jion). Gojushi-ho Dai, Sho.

NAHA-TE: Sanchin. Tensho. Gekisai-Dai-ichi, Gekisai-Dai-ni. Saifa (Sai-hawah). Seisan. Seipai. Sanseiru. Shisochin. Kururunfa (Kururun-hawah). Seienchin. Suparinpei.

TOMARI-TE: Chinto (Gankaku). Rohai (Meikyo). Wanshu (Enpi, Empi). Wankan (Matsukaze). Others; Niseishi (Nijushi-ho). Sochin. Ananku. Unsu. Seishan (Hangetsu).
The above-mentioned Kata have some variations. For example, Passai Kata has not only Dai and Sho, but also Matsumura no Passai (Passai of Matsumura), Tomari no Passai and Ishimine no Passai. In Uechiryu, although a Naha-te style, they developed a different series of Kata. These include Sanchin, Kanshiwa, Seishan, Seirui, and Konchin.

Karate Kata which possess numbers as names are considered originally of Chinese and/or Buddhist origin, and passed into the Okinawan-te systems during the 1800's. The numbers have been referred to as many interpretations and factors in modern Martial Arts, either as the amount of steps or techniques etc.

However, it has been said that that they have their history within the original teachings of acupoint striking within the Kata. For example, there are considered 36 'killing' points on the human body (Sanseiru). Many of the 'numeric' Kata have their foundations within the original Chinese acupoint striking system practised in the mid 1500's. It was considered the original method of 'numeric strike-point' combat was created by the Chinese Shaolin Martial Artist Feng-Yiquan at that time. Other Chinese Martial Artists who studied this form of combat included the famous Xie-Zhongxiang.
These 'numeric' Kata also include; Suparimpei (108), Gojushi-ho (54), Sanshiru (36), Nipaipo (28), Niseishi/Nijushi-ho (24), Seipai (18), Seishan/Seisan (13), etc., and are all believed to be linked to the acupoint science.
In Buddhism, however, numbers hold great symbolic importance, specifically referring to the108 desires of man. This is very interesting as many of the Kata hold factors of 108, as: Suparimpei (108), Gojushi-ho (54), Sanseiru (36), Seipai (18), etc.
Karate Kata lineage can be based on the following:
Aragaki - Ni-sei-shi, Sochin, Unsu.
Chatanyara - Ku-Shanku.
Gokenki - Hakucho, Nipaipo, Papuren.
Higaonna - Kururunfa, Saifa, Sanchin, Sanseru, Seienchin, Seipai, Seishan, Shisochin, Suparinpei.
Ishimine - Bassai.
Itosu - Pinan Shodan, Pinan Nidan, Pinan Sandan, Pinan Yodan, Pinan Godan, Bassai-dai, Bassai-sho, Chintei, Chinto, Gojushi-ho, Ji-tte, Ji-han, Ji-in, Kosokun-dai, Kosokun-sho, Naifuanchin Shodan, Naifuanchin Nidan, Naifuanchin Sandan, Rohai Shodan, Rohai Nidan, Rohai Sandan, Shiho-kosokun.
Mabuni Kenwa - Aoyagi, Juroku, Miyojo.
Matsubayashi - Annanko.
Matsumura - Bassai, Seishan, Rohai.
Matsumora - Rohai, Wankan (Matsukaze), Wanshu.
Miyagi - Gekisai-ichi, Gekisai-ni, Tensho.
Mabuni/Ueichi - Shinpa.
A further note regarding 'numeric' Kata. All of the Kata that are named with numbers, for example; Niseishi (24), Seis(h)an (13), Sanshiru (36), Suparimpei (108), Nipaipo (28), Seipai (18), Gojushiho (54) etc., were practiced in China and passed to Okinawa in the 19th century and earlier.
However, historians debate the significance of numbers as Kata names. There are several theories, the simplest being that the number was the number of movements in the Kata when it was created.
However, in ancient China, a charting system was created numbering the vital points on the human body and sets of movements were created to attack these points. As with most cultural phenomenon in China, there is a definite Buddhist influence on some Kata names.
Please remember that in many cases, kanji representations of Kata names are often very recent. Many Kata names were unwritten until late in the last century. Prior to this, Kata names were often passed through oral tradition alone. When Karate-ka wanted to write the kanji down, it may have been the case that the writer didn't know the meaning, and used kanji that he thought represented the Kata in some sensible way (phonetic sound of the Kata name is an obvious possibility), it may not be the original name at all. Because of this, there can sometimes be different kanji for the same Kata, or incorrect kanji altogether.

To develop overall speed, there are several sequential steps in training:

Conditioning
Power development
Skill improvement
Chambering
Speed training

Condition, including flexibility, strength and agility training, is a prerequisite for speed training. The completion of basic conditioning is signaled by a level of fitness that allows the athlete to begin the more intensive exercises that develop explosive power. Exercises for developing explosive power. Once the target muscles start to develop, begin working on skill refinement. Each skill should be examined to eliminate unnecessary movements and increase bio mechanical efficiency.

With highly refined movements and strong muscles, you can begin adding speed to each movement. Start skill loading gradually and observe your body's reaction. If you can add speed and still maintain semi-refined movements, continue to increase your intensity. Eventually you will reach the final stage of speed training in which you can execute skillful movements at high speed.

Now let's examine the four types of speed individually.

Perception speed can be increased by repeatedly exposing yourself to situations that require instant analysis. Law enforcement officers do this by participating in mock confrontations that require them to quickly analyze who demands to be responded to and how. The best drill for developing perception speed in martial artists is sparring.

Sparring teaches you what an attack looks like before it happens. Sparring also teaches you to be alert at all times by placing you in imminent physical danger. Alertness is one of the keys to perception speed. You cannot analyze the situation if you do not realize it exists.

Reaction speed is improved by a two pronged approach. First, you have to be aware of what types of situations may arise in any given environment. In sparring, your opponent does one of several things which are predetermined by the rules of the sparring match. You know in advance what is allowed and what is not.

In a self-defense situation, you also have some idea what to expect. You can reasonably expect your assailant to try to harm you in some way. You do not expect him to start singing songs or reciting poetry. By estimating what to expect from the given environment, you narrow down your choice of possible responses.

Second, you have to have experienced an identical or similar situation before. If you have been attacked hundreds of times by a front kick in sparring, your reaction becomes almost reflexive. If you are sparring for the first time, your reaction time is longer because you must formulate a response without a basis for comparison. If you have practiced self-defense techniques in a realistic way hundreds of times, you are much better prepared than if you spend all of your time beating up a stationary heavy bag.

Execution speed is the type of speed that most Karate practitioners training focus on. Executing techniques like kicks and punches with speed takes up a large part of the intermediate and advanced stages of training. Execution speed can best be improved through attention to detail. Shifting into a ready posture at the last minute wastes time. Begin each movement with a ready and relaxed posture. If you are going to punch, have your hands up and ready. If you are going to kick, shift your weight to supporting leg and relax your kicking leg. Shifting your weight and positioning your hands can take more time than the actual striking or kicking. Anticipate what is necessary and be prepared.

When you learn a new skill, practice it slowly at first, to train your muscles in the correct execution of each movement. When you can execute with little thought about the segments of the movement, speed up gradually. In speeding up the movement, take care not to loose the precision you learned in the beginner stage. Strong basics are essential for speed training.
Observing the laws of motion is also important to execution speed. If you flail your arms and head wildly about when kicking, your kick will be slow. If you stabilize your posture, your kicking speed will increase. If you punch with your arm, your punching will be slow. If you punch from your hips, you’re punching speed and power will increase. If you spin with your upper body tilted to one side, you will lose kick, however, creates a continuous circle of whirling force, increasing the speed of the second kick.

Finally, relax to create speed. Tense muscles have more difficulty responding to your intense demands than relaxed muscles. Relax just prior to the movement and maintain a minimum amount of tension during the movement. Relaxation conserves energy and lessens the amount of force necessary to move your body quickly.

Recovery speed is the result of execution speed. The old adage "what goes up must come down" applies in other directions as well. If your fist shoots out in a punching motion, it must return along the same path to be efficient and effective. If you execute a side kick and drop your leg to the ground immediately following impact, you will be off balance and in danger. You must
Re-chamber the leg and then return to a natural stance.

If you do not execute the recovery portion of the technique, the action becomes "dead." It does not have the dynamic quality associated with speedy movement. It also increases the risk of joint injury tremendously. A fast strike or kick that ends in a locked out position is a common case of knee and elbow injuries.

A complete technique has an initiation, execution, impact and recovery. Each phase must be executed correctly to create dynamic speed.

CAUTIONS
Never use complex skills for speed training.
Always master the basics before moving to speed training.
Never tense your muscles before executing a speed skill.
Muscles must be well trained before engaging in speed training. Weak muscles that cannot bear the intense requirements of speed training are easily injured.

Use mercy in war, and you win,use it for defence,and you are secure.
(Lao Tzu)

What is control? Control is the attempt to assert your will over something or somebody else.People have ideas,

dreams and seek to make their thoughts real.Reality and ideas are two different things: reality simply exists whether we choose to believe in it or not and ideas are an attempt to shape, change or understand reality.

Humanity has spent centuries attempting to bend the

natural world and society to fit the pattern of their ideas. Millions of people have died in the name of ideas. Control is the illusion that reality will fit within the harness of an idea.

Motive Taoism asks the question: what is your purpose in seeking to control another? Why would you want to? Some people would argue: "It is for their own good."But who are you to decide what is good for somebody else? Would you steal another person's free will? On what basis can you decide?

Foundation We are all educated and conditioned to think in certain ways. Our culture makes us conform within a strict pattern of social behaviour. This is the foundation of our thoughts and to some extent the basis for any ideas we have. Given our conditioning, can our ideas necessarily be trusted?

Were they grown in healthy soil?

Control and Karate
Karate advocates working in harmony with the structural capacities of your body. It aims to work within the range of natural movement, to complement the body and its rhythms. Nothing is forced. Ideas are subtly offered and the body allowed time to consider and change according to comfort. Sensation is valued over thought. Controlling yourself Until you have found harmony within your own body and mind, how can you consider any attempt to control another? Your own body must be balanced, stable and centred. Your thoughts must be calm, natural and compassionate.Unless you can act in accordance with the flow of things, your attempt at control will fail. Taoism advocates leading without taking control, shepherding from amongst the flock rather than standing at the front and asserting yourself. If people are unaware of your influence will they be troubled by it? Can people resist what they cannot feel? If you do not assume leadership, nobody can ever oppose you. Wanting leadership creates division - it operates on a principle of boss and underling - and can only lead to resentment and failure. Controlling others The main skills required in controlling others are adaptation and change. You must move as they move, be sensitive to what is happening. Your presence must be so slight that they cannot find reason to resist you. Force is not even used. People will often willingly give you control, allow you to influence them. Treat this responsibility with respect. Control in self defence If we are balanced within ourselves and can move sensitively in response to another person, then we may consider self defence.

Gojuryu Karate works on the principle of yielding to force.You must move around the opponent's force, circumvent their strength and use only the minimum of power to defeat them. Since their is no merit in harming others, Karate seeks solutions to attack which reduce the need for further conflict. It is better to shock the opponent than harm them. We would only harm the aggressor if there were no other choice available.

Wisdom

WISDOM

Albert Einstein
"A human being is part of a whole, called by us the 'universe', a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affectation for a few people near us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

The greatest power we ever got is the power of our thoughts. There is an Intelligence inside us that can elevate our life at the highest level. Everyone should learn to collaborate with this Intelligence which is organized to react on our intentions and to create with us a life of abundance and happiness. Freedom, happiness, richness, love, friendship, health and wealth are our birth right. We have been created to live our life in freedom, health and wealth. If our life doesn't look like that, it means we block ourselves by our thoughts. Our thoughts are very powerful instruments we use to either create happiness and wealth, or sickness and poverty. If your life doesn't look like what you're dreaming of, it means you have thoughts which go against you. Your thoughts create your life. If you want to change your life, change first your thoughts. You can choose your thoughts. Nobody in the world can put a thought in your head without your permission. Your mind belongs to you! Its your job to control your thoughts! You are the master of your head, you are the guardian of your thoughts. You can change them. Choose those thoughts who will bring you the results you want. Never think a thing you dont want to happen. Read that again : never think a thought you don't want to become true. It means : don't think anything negative about yourself if you don't want this thought to become real. If you don't want to be stupid, stop thinking you are. If you don?t want to be fat, stop rehearsing in your head how fat you are now. If you don't want to loose your boyfriend or girlfriend, stop thinking about this possibility. Instead of these destructive thoughts, choose thoughts which reinforce you. Choose to think how intelligent you are, and you will be! Choose to think how beautiful you are, and you will shine like a star! Choose to think you are loved, and you will! Thoughts are energy. Every thought carries an energy level. Your choice : or you choose thoughts which lower your energy level, or you choose thoughts which increase your energy level. Its in your hands! Or better : its in your head! How you will feel and act depends on what you think. Every action and emotion is preceded by a thought. You can choose thoughts which block you, or even paralyze you. It isn't any more difficult to watch your thoughts to be able to choose them consciously. Its just a matter of exercise and consciousness. Once you've learned how to become the master of your thoughts, you become the master of your life! If checking your thoughts seems too difficult for now, you can start watching your mouth. Never let come out of your mouth something you don't want to happen! Never wish a bad luck to anyone if you don't want this to realize. Watch your mouth, watch your words, watch your thougths, and become the creator of your own life! Your life does not depend on others. It depends on your own ability to master your thoughts

Bridge The Gap

Bridge the gap between young and old The distance in between Connect not to age or experience But to the common bond unseen
That place where you and they are one A unity of souls A mirror of yourself sometimes And as your heart consoles
You bridge the gap from here to there Understanding all you see That we are all as one And not just "you" and "me"

I remember her amazing Face

White as snow the strands of hair That fell around her face Her soft eyes and rosy cheeks,

A smile that showed her grace, Her face which told a story In the lines time would not erase
Each line had a history.
Lines of love, the lines of laughter are the ones I remember well.
The words her mouth would form I could read between the lines On her face so flush and warm
And know a story of forgiveness Or a riddle of delight A rhyme of good faith A reason each line was made just right
Her face could be a novel That takes you to another place The drama of her life was written in her amazing face.

I will never forget the time I stayed with her at her home, and how gracious she was with me. She was a women with class, that i will never forget.