Karate Thoughts Blog

Repost of Basic Posture 3

2012-05-09T12:56:00.000-10:00

This is a repost of Basic Posture 3, which was originally posted on April 4, 2007. I will use this in commenting further on the subject of posture.

In Basic Posture (December 17, 2006), I wrote:

Slightly tuck your chin.
Lower your shoulders.
Squeeze your lats.
Tuck your koshi.
Slightly bend your knees.

In Basic Posture 2 (December 31, 2006), I added:

Keep your elbows close to your body.
Shift your weight in the direction you will move, then move.
Protect your sechusen (centerline).
Move as if on a tightrope.
Move from place to place at a walking pace -- time your strikes and blocks to arrive when you get there.
Squeeze out your air -- almost all of it, but not quite -- in synch with the timing of your strike or block.
Hit on the recoil of your koshi.
Recover the energy/power of the recoil for the next movement.
Train to move freely in any direction.
Kicks and strikes are like stabbing.

After my recent trip to Okinawa (March 30 - April 8, 2007) to visit and learn from Sensei Katsuhiko Shinzato (and his fine students), I would like to add:

Keep your elbows close to your body and after a block or strike, generally return your elbows to or near the sides of your body (a little in front of that).
Never punch or block directly to your sides (the side centerline of your body). You should block or strike more in line with your chest. This will give you more power and make it harder for the attacker to apply joint locks or throws.
Lower your shoulders, and drop them a little extra before a block or strike.
In all kata and movements, maintain the tanden/koshi alignment of the Naihanchi kata (or close to it).
The rear foot in most stances is at a 90 degree angle (rather than a 45 degree angle).
Maintain a hanmi body alignment.
In a hanmi body alignment with a 90 degree rear foot, your stance can be narrower (even on a straight line). This makes it easier to move and also protects your centerline.
Even if the upper body rotates, keep the lower body in the Naihanchi alignment. Even in kosa dachi (a crossed stance) your koshi is in the Naihanchi alignment (your koshi will be in the same direction as your front big toe).
Do not be limited by the "specifics" of stances. All stances are transitions. The weight shifts throughout and even the length of the stance changes. There are no fixed stances. I only learned to appreciate this recently. I was paralyzed by the specifications of a Karate book I had practically memorized.
Drop your body as you execute a block or strike. The "drop" is really like a spiral (not only in a downward direction).
When you "drop" there will be a rebound. Use it.
Move like a whip -- but not the end of a thin whip. The whip includes your entire body with the base at your feet (usually). Move like a thick whip.
Blocks must "enter." You do not simply hit an attacking arm or leg -- you also enter toward the attacker. Your block jams in a combination of a striking and pressing manner. The block also has an osae feeling. When you block or strike in this manner, you will be very close to the attacker and able to counterattack or strike again.
Osae (press) between movements. If you do not osae, you will create an opening for the attacker.
Tuck your koshi. If you look at yourself in a mirror from the side, the line of your belt will show your "tuck." If your belt slants down, your koshi is probably not tucked. When your koshi is tucked, your belt will be horizontal. This is difficult to see if the student ties his or her belt too high around the waist. Then it will be horizontal even when the koshi is not tucked.
Tuck your koshi when you block or strike. Before the next movement, your koshi may drop. Tuck it again when you perform the next block or strike. You can also keep your koshi loosely tucked between movements.
Another way to say "tuck your koshi" is to say that "your belly button points up." My Aikido Sensei used to say the same thing!
In the process of lowering your shoulders, tucking your koshi, and squeezing your lats, you can create a tension that is called "gamaku." But the name is not important -- the tension is what counts because you can use it.
Delay your strikes as long as possible. When performing elbow strikes, for example, move your body and adjust your weight, holding off on throwing (or igniting) your elbow strike as long as possible. This is like the idea of a whip snapping -- the actual "crack" at the end is delayed.
Overload your weight in the direction you wish to go. In the "bump" that occurs, you have an opportunity to move easily. Drop your weight and shoulder at this moment.
Learn to take "neutral" body positions between techniques. In this way, you can move easily, freely and in any direction. This generally means bringing your feet together. But even with your feet together, keep your Naihanchi alignment. When you keep long stances, your directional choices are more limited.
Fight sideways. Your shoulders should not be "square" to the front.
Work to feel the connection between each movement. Each movement should connect to the next. There should be no "dead" spots, or places where you drop your connection. An entire kata can be done in this connected manner. But the idea is not that you could do the specific movements of a kata but rather that you could connect any movements you desire at any time. Do not go, stop, go, stop. Just go, go, go.
The recoil or "reaction" of one movement can be used to generate the next movement. Don't waste it.
Fully extend your blocks and strikes. If you "choke up," you will not properly penetrate (kikomi) and you will have less recoil or reaction to use.
Horizontal or angular rotation of the trunk is "koshi." Vertical rotation of the trunk is "hara." Koshi gives speed, hara gives power. (I am still working on articulating this.)
Your weight should not be on your heels, nor should it be on the balls of your feet either. Your weight should be naturally distributed over the soles of your feet so that you can move easily in any direction.
It is much easier to move when you are already moving. A great deal of energy is required to move from a stationary position. Once you start moving, don't stop until you are completely through with whatever you are doing (including escape).
There are many ways to move, depending on your body type, age, and level of skill. As such, the elements of Body Posture that you will emphasis will change as you progress and age. Generally, beginners learn to use fixed stances and move in a staccato manner. Advanced students learn to use flexible stances and to move freely in a connected matter.
When returning to the formal or "ready" position at the end of a kata, you must maintain your awareness and body posture elements so that you are ready to move in an instant. The kata is not done until you complete the bow -- and even then you should remain prepared.
Kicks and strikes are like stabbing -- with a sword, not a little knife.

These points are presented for your consideration and reflect what I am learning and teach in my dojo. Other styles and even other dojo in my own style might emphasize different things.

I did not make these things up (and do not claim any credit for doing so). I am very fortunate to have very fine Sensei and mentors in Karate. They in turn had very fine Sensei. We are each just a point on the great line of Karate.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

A Breakthrough in Posture

2012-05-09T12:49:00.000-10:00

I have recently had a "breakthrough" in my Karate training. It may seem like a small thing, but I have been training for some time, teach, and write at bit, so I thought that I would share it.

The proper poster for Shorin-Ryu is the posture of Goju-Ryu.

That is the short version of my "breakthrough" but says it in a nutshell.

I am a member of the Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai. Before that, I was a member of the Hawaii Karate Kodanshakai. During my years with these groups, I have had the pleasure of training with Sensei Alan Lee, the senior student of Sensei Tomu Arakawa. Lee Sensei is an amazing Karate person, one of the very best I have ever had the opportunity to meet.

Well, over the years, as I have had the opportunity to watch his kata and basics, I have come to appreciate his posture. And as I have had the opportunity to learn and teach the Kishaba Juku form of Shorin-Ryu, and hopefully improved over the years, I have realized that my posture is becoming more and more like Lee Sensei's. And I do not believe that it is because I am copying him. I am still trying hard to move like Sensei Katsuhiko Shinzato. It just happens that as I copy Shinzato Sensei, I am developing a posture that is closer to Lee Sensei's.

How can that be? He is Goju-Ryu and I am Shorin-Ryu.

Another thing that I have learned from my contact with Lee Sensei is that Goju-Ryu places a greater emphasis on posture in kata such as Sanchin and Tensho than most Shorin-Ryu do with similar kata. Posture is really important in Goju-Ryu. It is not just a matter of leaning many techniques -- basically moving your hands and feet. If the posture is wrong, nothing will work. And if your posture is correct, everything will probably work.

I will write more about posture. If you search this blog, you can see what I have already written on the subject.

But my breakthrough is a realization that my Shorin-Ryu posture is (or should be) the same as Lee Sensei's Goju-Ryu posture... which came from the Higa Seko line via Izumigawa Sensei.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Passing of Another Sensei

2012-05-09T12:33:00.001-10:00

I recently heard about the passing of Sensei Takayoshi Nagamine in Okinawa. My heart goes out to all his relatives, friends, and students worldwide.

Aside from the personal loss, particularly for such a young Sensei, I feel a great sense of loss for Karate. Every time a senior Sensei passes away, a part of Karate disappears. There is no way to document the experiences that someone like Nagamine Sensei had in his long Karate life. Who can document the life of someone like Sensei William Dometrich, Sensei Bobby Lowe, or Sensei Joseph Bunch, all of whom passed away not so long ago?

As students, we try our best to learn from our Sensei. We might think that we have a lot of time and they will live forever. But life is short and death often comes unexpectedly. We should not take their time for granted. Each moment is precious.

As students, we should try to learn as much as we can, as thoroughly as we can. We are the living embodiments of our Sensei. More than any book or documentary, the lives of our Sensei are carried on through us -- their students. And when we teach, we carry on their lives to successive generations of students.

I have to admit that the loss of Karate Sensei and seniors I have known weighs heavily upon me. I have a hard time speaking about people such as Sensei Bobby Lowe, Snaggy Inouye, and Sensei Joseph Bunch, because they still seem alive to me. I keep expecting to see them at our next Karate lunch or training. For that matter, I still see Sensei Sadao Yoshioka now and then.

Respectfully in the art,

Charles C. Goodin

Crying About Kata

2012-04-21T20:28:00.003-10:00

This is a true story.

The other day, I was watching an online Karate video. A friend had sent me the link. Other videos were listed with the first video, and after I had clicked from one video to another a few times I found myself watching a video of a senior Karate instructor performing a basic kata.

The thing is that the performance was so technically flawed that it was truly amazing. I was at work, and I called my wife over to watch the video (because it was so truly amazing in a negative sense).

After about 20 seconds, my wife started to cry. Honestly, she started to cry. She felt so bad for this senior Karate instructor.

I learned a lot that day from my wife.

It is easy to be critical when we watch Karate videos or other Karate students performing kata or demonstrating techniques -- but we have to remember that we are all fellow Karate students.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Move Lightly, Hit Hard

2012-04-11T22:20:00.002-10:00

This is a very straightforward statement: In Karate we should move lightly and hit hard.

It is straightforward, but how often to you see people who move like this? I have seen many people who move in a heavy way but hit lightly. I have seen very few people who move lightly and hit hard.

One of the "secrets" of hitting hard is getting as much of your weight as possible into each punch, strike, or block. In order to do this, you have to actually hit with your body through your hand or arm. Most people concentrate on their hands or arms rather than on their body.

And of course, when you think about your body, you have to think about how to generate "wholebody" power. In our style (Kishaba Juku Shorin-Ryu), we focus quite a bit on the use of the koshi, but more generally on the core of the body. Learning how to generate power with the core, connect this to the arms and legs, and transfer power to whatever we want to hit or block with, is the focus of our training.

Core mechanics is also the "secret" of learning how to move lightly and quickly. In a nutshell, core mechanics makes everything easier, faster, and more powerful.

It makes it possible to move lightly and hit hard.

And I did say that core mechanics makes it "easier". If being faster and more powerful required more effort, that is one thing. As we age, this becomes more and more difficult. But when you can be faster and more powerful with less effort, that is certainly another thing -- a good thing for a grandfather like me!

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Doing Fine

2012-04-11T22:16:00.002-10:00

Aloha,

I am doing fine. After the University of Hawaii lecture and the activities surrounding it, my law office became very busy and has remained so. Actually, it looks like I will be very busy through the end of this month.

However, I have been teaching Karate classes as usual. I have just be too busy to write very much. Actually, my newest article has recently appeared in the current issue of Classical Fighting Arts. It is about an unknown student of Chotoku Kyan.

Thank you very much to people who have inquired about my wellbeing. I will try to get back to regular writing soon.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Relearning Basics

2012-03-15T20:24:00.002-10:00

Every time we get a new batch of students in our dojo, I am given the opportunity to relearn my basics. And guess what? I learn something each and every time I teach, and sometimes the points are so fundamental that my basic way of moving is changed.

Of course, I enjoy working on advanced kata with advanced students. But I think that I learn more by teaching basics to beginners.

Last night I was teaching chudan shuto uke. I realized that one of the keys is immediately tucking the back arm as you move forward into the next shuto. It is such a basic thing, but so important. You have to tuck the arm smoothly and with no slack. Then the shuto will be clean, fast, and powerful.

Even after many years, we learn little by little.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Five Videos -- Karate in the Ryukyu Kingdom

2012-03-03T08:09:00.003-10:00

Here are Links to the five videos:

Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx9RMDIqs4Q&feature=plcp&context=C3100a4bUDOEgsToPDskJ-esbsA2mYuSyA7aZ9NYL-)

Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI6A8Bxld7o&feature=plcp&context=C3fd7390UDOEgsToPDskJu8PKtIb9PRl6F-c10YtH_)

Part 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NC-YHIM6eE&feature=plcp&context=C373156dUDOEgsToPDskLT49i1F0aeRwDdD5S16q3k)

Part 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcy3ooegQoc&feature=plcp&context=C3d8814cUDOEgsToPDskLWFptIr8V5MGchseLpZsoL)

Part 5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySGsFmHKEsc&feature=plcp&context=C39f625aUDOEgsToPDskJAGdwtVBp4Elo734QSJkmG)

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Lecture Video is Online!

2012-03-02T22:26:00.003-10:00

Aloha,

Thanks to the hard work of Sensei Angel Lemus, please see:

http://www.youtube.com/user/HawaiiKarateMuseum

Our lecture (Karate in the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawa Prefecture, and Hawaii. How is Okinawan Culture Spread through Karate?) was broken into five parts.

I will create a page at the Hawaii Karate Museum website to more fully describe the lecture, but I wanted to let you see the videos as the last part was just uploaded tonight (Hawaii time).

Please let all your friends and contacts know about this online lecture. You are welcome to link to the page or videos. It is possible that a single online video might be available at a later date (but it would be about 95 minute long).

It was a true honor for me to be involved in this lecture with my good friend and senior, Sensei Pat Nakata. We both are very grateful to Lemus Sensei for his expertise and hard work. As you will see, he seamlessly blended our Powerpoint slides with the lecture, so that you can see and hear exactly what the audience saw and heard that day.

Nakata Sensei and I hope that this lecture might encourage more people to practice Karate and to explore the rich history and culture of the Ryukyu Kingdom and Okinawa. All Karate students share this legacy... and the responsibility to preserve and pass it on.

Respectfully,

Charles

Video Update

2012-02-28T22:08:00.002-10:00

The video of our lecture at the University of Hawaii is about 95 minutes long. My friend, Sensei Angel Lemus, tried to upload a single video, which took a whole day. It turned out it is too long for Youtube. We need to split it into parts, which is being done now. I will let you know when the video is available, but wanted to give you the status.

In the meantime, perhaps you could visit Lemus Sensei's One Minute Bunkai website. His latest video is one he showed at our most recent Kenkyukai training session.

If I was making a bunkai team and got to pick members, Lemus Sensei would be tops on my list. At our Kenkyukai training, he showed an opening movement with an application. I asked him to show a different finishing movement, then another, and another. I think I stopped at 10 or 12, each of which he spontaneously and smoothly demonstrated. Could you do that? Could you do that without any advance notice? Could you do that for all the movements you know? To me, that is really impressive.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Cookies

2012-02-28T21:54:00.002-10:00

A story of Karate.

Once upon a time, there was a baker who made the best cookies in the whole word. People would stand in line just to be able to purchase a single cookie and when they ate it, they would feel an overwhelming sense of happiness. Each cookie was unique and a masterpiece. But the baker could only produce three or four each day.

One day a cookie company contacted the baker and offered to mass produce his cookies. A factory was built near the original bakery, which was bulldozed to make a parking lot. The new cookies looked the same and were made with the same ingredients, but they were not the same. The lost their uniqueness. When people bought them, they tasted like ordinary cookies.

After selling millions of the new cookies, the baker became disillusioned. He missed making masterpieces. And so he decided to make a new bakery and start over again.

Unfortunately, the cookie company obtained an injunction preventing the baker from ever selling his cookies again, as he had sold them his rights.

And so the baker retired and dreamed for the rest of his life about his original cookies.

The moral of the story is that three or four masterpieces are better than a million ordinary cookies. For that matter, even one or two masterpiece Karate students are better than a million mass produced ones. Sorry, did I say "Karate students"? I meant cookies.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Respect and Acceptance

2012-02-25T18:53:00.004-10:00

I have found that two things are very inexpensive to give but are worth a great deal: respect and acceptance. This is especially true in Karate.

There is a respect given because a person is physically strong. This is shallow. Physical strength declines with age, and even with the best mechanics and conditioning, we do grow slower and weaker with age. Respect for physical strength alone would diminish as a person ages.

But respect for a person's character and humanity will grow with age.

I know people who study many different styles of Karate. I am sure that each of us like our own style, and sometimes might question another person's emphasis in Karate. But I have learned to appreciate and respect different styles and emphases in Karate. My own emphasis has changed many times during my Karate life. One of the things I appreciate is that my Karate friends and I accept each other. We don't look at each other with a look of "I think I could take you." Instead, we have a look of "I think I could learn something from you." "And if you had a problem,I would have your back."

Respect and acceptance, of course, are just as important outside of Karate. Everyone is different. Thank goodness for that! The older I get and the more I experience life, the more I respect people and the more I accept different views and lifestyles.

Life is small when a person is narrow minded. The opposite is also true.

In Hawaii, we have a "mixed plate" for lunch -- different kinds of food. Together they are great. A musubi is good but you can't beat a good mixed plate lunch.

Now I'm hungry.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Video Coming Soon

2012-02-25T18:52:00.002-10:00

The video should be ready very soon. Just a little longer.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Karate In the Ryukyu Kingdom Lecture Follow-up

2012-02-19T20:22:00.013-10:00

Photo by Sensei Angel Lemus

Aloha,

Last Thursday, Sensei Pat Nakata and I presented the lecture,

Karate in the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawa Prefecture, and Hawaii.
How is Okinawan Culture Spread through Karate?

at the Manoa Campus of the University of Hawaii. The lecture was sponsored by the Center for Okinawn Studies, which is headed by Dr. Joyce Chinen. My contact at the center for the lecture was Lynette Teruya, who was very supportive and helpful. Gay Satsuma of the Center for Japanese Studies attended, as did Dr. Alfred Yama Kina, who had given a lecture a few months ago about his experiences in Shuri. My Sensei in Hawaii, Sensei Rodney Shimabukuro, and his wife, Joyce also attended.

Here are links to the Flyer and Handout for the Lecture. I hope that you will review the Handout as it presents some of the materials we covered. It includes a Bibliography, a chart about the Ryukyu Caste System, and a list of ten Karate people with their Ryukyu Kingdom titles.

The lecture started at 3:00 p.m. and the room was filled with attendees, including three members of our Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai: Sensei Herbert Ishida, Sensei Hisae Ishii-Chang, and Sensei Sean Roberts. Sensei Angel Lemus who is also a member of the Kenkyukai attended and took video of the entire lecture. He is working on the footage for uploading to Youtube. Nakata Sensei and I are very grateful to Lemus Sensei for his expertise and hard work. I will post here when the video is uploaded.

I had prepared a Powerpoint presentation with about 90 slides. Lemus Sensei is incorporating the slides in the video. I'm sure that this is a big job for him.

I started the lecture with information about the Ryukyu Kingdom and its caste system. Karate experts and instructors were almost exclusively members of the Uekata and Peechin class, with most being in the Pechin class. Sometimes these classes are compared to "Lords" or "Daimyo" and "Samurai", but in my opinion, comparisons to Japanese classes are not very helpful. To me, the Uekata and Pechin classes (with the various subclasses), were Ryukyu Kingdom officials and the equivalent of civil servants with many privileges.

I contrasted the historical information we have about Karate experts in the Ryukyu Kingdom with the popular story about Karate being developed by Okinawan peasants and farmers to protect themselves against the invading Satsuma samurai (1609). In fact, I have found that most of the "popular" stories about Karate are simply myths. To understand the development of Karate, it is essential to study the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Nakata Sensei presented information about the Chinese origins of Karate, outlining some of the sources of Chinese contacts. He shared how his teacher, Chosin Chibana, said that known Karate began with Kanga Teruya, who became known as Tudi (or Tote) Sakugawa. You can see the handout for his birth and death dates and social rank.

I was given a lot of help with the Caste System chart by my Sensei in Okinawa, Sensei Katsuhiko Shnzato, and Dr. Alfred Yama Kina. Dr. Kina also studies Okinawan dance here in Hawaii with Sensei Kikue Kaneshiro. My Hawaii Sensei's wife, Joyce Shimabukuro, also studied with Kaneshiro Sensei. I learned a lot about the Kingdom period by reading Dr. Kina's thesis, which is listed in the Bibliography.

I mentioned that in the Ryukyu Kingdom, rank in Karate either did not exist or was pretty irrelevant -- what mattered was your position in Ryukyu society and the level of your service to the King. Karate instructors might have taught students who were of higher social classes, and I'm sure that each was acutely aware of this.

Lemus Sensei and I both study styles of Karate that trace to Chotoku Kyan. Kyan Sensei's father, Chofu Kyan, is listed in the handout, and was a member of the Ryukyu Kingdom's last Sanshikan (Council of Three). The Sanshikan was one of the highest bodies in the Ryukyu government. Chofu Kyan was a student of Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura, who is also listed in the handout. Chofu Kyan also became King Sho Tai's Chamberlain and oversaw all of this assets. He is another example of a Karate expert who was a member of the Ryukyu Kingdom's "official" classes.

Shinzato Sensei had actually prepared a much longer list of Karate experts for me. I reduced this to 10 for the handout. During the Ryukyu Kingdom period, all were of the Shizoku, or privileged classes. Okinawan elders I have spoken to all said that life for "commoners" was very difficult in Okinawa, and working people worked extremely hard all day. Natural resources were very limited. Only the privileged classes had time for Karate -- and access to instructors.

After the Ryukyu Kingdom was abolished and King Sho Tai was forced into exile in Tokyo, Karate had to adapt to the policies of the Japanese Empire. It is very interesting that Karate experts where of the same social classes as Ryukyu dance and music experts. All of these "professionals", deprived of their stipends, lands (if applicable), and titles, had to find a way to make a living. Many moved away from Shuri and began to teach their respective arts to the pubic -- rather than just to members of their own social classes. To me, this probably brought about the greatest change in Karate. Teaching Karate to the public resulted in two Karates -- the old and the new. The new was ultimately taught in the Okinawan school system and this form of Karate, generally, is what spread to mainland Japan and other countries.

But the old was also preserved, particularly with people such as Chosin Chibana, Nakata Sensei's teacher in Okinawa (his original teacher in Hawaii was Sensei Walter Nishioka, who is also a member of our Hawaii Karate Kenkukai -- in fact, I saw him today at our training). Chibana Sensei learned from Anko Itosu (who learned from Sokon Matsumura, who learned from Tote Sakugawa, who learned from Kusanku (a Chinese envoy)). I asked Nakata Sensei to share Chibana Sensei's Karate-Do No Kokoroe, which is printed in the Handout. I will let you watch the video to hear Nakata Sensei's words. One story that moved me involved a challenge match that Nakata Sensei was forced to accept when he studied in Okinawa. In the end, Chibana Sensei intervened to restrain Nakata Sensei from finishing off his challenger, saying that we must also have compassion for our enemies.

Karate was taught in the Okinawan school system around 1903 or so. The first Okinawan immigrants to Hawaii left Okinawa in December of 1899 and arrived on January 6, 1900. At least three Karate practitioners were among them. Kisaburo Kawakami had actually arrived four years earlier. His son, Kitaro Kawakami, was a student of Kentsu Yabu, which makes me suspect that his father had learned from Sokon Matsumura. Succeeding waves of Okinawan immigrants continued to bring Karate to Hawaii. The early students had learned the "old" style, not the public school version.

One question we asked was "How is Okinawan Culture Spread Through Karate?" I summarized some of the exhibits, demonstrations, lectures, and events that our Hawaii Karate Museum and my friends in the Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai had participated in over the years. I also described our museum's donation to the University of Hawaii of the Hawaii Karate Museum Collection, a permanent collection at the Okinawan Collection of the Hamilton Library at the Manoa Campus. Please check the Digital Archives for some excellent books and materials that are online.

We have worked to help establish Karate as a subject worthy of study, individually and at the University level. But the way that Karate is taught is from Sensei to student, and the way that Karate is learned is through training. If Okinawan and Ryukyuan culture is to be spread, it will have to happen in the dojo, school, recreation center, or garage. It has to be spread from Sensei to student, and from older brother or sister to younger.

I have often been advised by Okinawan elders that in order to understand and appreciate Karate, you should study the history and culture of its homeland -- Okinawa. I agree completely. Together, as Instructors and Students of Karate, let us do our very best not only to learn the physical aspects of the art, but to also learn about the Ryukyu Kingdom and Okinawa, and the values that shaped and guided the early Karate pioneers.

Nakata Sensei and I hope that the lecture was one small step in this direction. We were supposed to end at 4:30 p.m., but with questions we went to about 4:45 p.m. The Center for Okinawan studies then served some refreshments.

I am very grateful to Nakata Sensei of sharing his insights and lessons. I have learned so much from him over the years, and continue to do so today. We also want to thank Lemus Sensei, Shinzato Sensei, Dr. Kina, Dr. Chinen, Lynette Teruya, and everyone who helped us with the lecture, and to all the attendees. I also want to thank Shimaburo Sensei and his wife Joyce, and the Center for Okinawan Studies, Dr. Kina, and Joyce for the beautiful lei.

If you like the video, I hope that you might ask your students to watch it. Again, I will announce here when it is available online.

Respectfully in the art,

Charles C. Goodin

Good Basics -- Like a Propeller

2012-02-02T15:23:00.003-10:00

This is a simple principle, but an important one:

If your basics are good, as you gain more power and speed, the movements will be stable.

If you basics are bad, as you gain more power and speed, the movements will fall apart.

That is why it pays to take your time and learn your basics well. For instructors, this is why it pays to take your time and teach the basics to your students well.

It is like the propeller on an airplane. At slow speed, flaws or imbalance in the propeller will probably not cause too much of a problem. But at high speed, the propeller will fly apart and destroy the airplane -- and cause a crash.

With good basics, increased speed and power makes the movement feel even more stable -- like a perfectly balanced propeller!

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Just One Week Until Our Lecture!

2012-02-02T15:06:00.002-10:00

The lecture by Sensei Pat Nakata and me,

Karate in the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawa Prefecture, and Hawaii.
How is Okinawan Culture Spread through Karate?

will be in just one week! I hope that you can attend or will be able to watch it when it is available on Youtube.

Karate is not just from Okinawa, it is from the Ryukyu Kingdom (and China too). In order to understand Karate, it is very helpful to student the history of culture of Okinawa and the Ryukyu Kingdom. This is the shared history of all Karate students.

Respectfully,

Charles

Here is my earlier post:

Aloha,

On Thursday, February 9th at 3:00 p.m., Sensei Pat Nakata and I will give a lecture at the University of Hawaii. A poster is above (click the poster for a larger pdf file) and the information is included below. Please feel free to distribute this information to anyone who might be interested. I am very honored to give this lecture with my good friend and senior, Sensei Nakata Sensei.

I have asked my good friend, Sensei Angel Lemus, to take video of the lecture and we hope to be able to present it on YouTube after the event.

I am very encouraged that this lecture is sponsored by a the Center for Okinawan Studies at the University of Hawaii. The subject matter of Karate and its place in Okinawan history and culture is truly worth of study. Those of us who are fortunate to practice and teach the art, are caretakers of this great tradition.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Center for Okinawan Studies Lecture Series

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Karate in the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawa Prefecture, and Hawaii
How is Okinawan Culture Spread through Karate?

Learn about the origins of Karate (Tudi, "Tang or China" Hand) among members of the highest levels of Ryukyuan society. Karate was part of the upbringing of selected sons of noble and samurai families who were trained to become bushi, cultured gentlemen. Based largely on Chinese martial arts and values, Karate was usually taught secretly or in private.

About twenty years after the Ryukyu Kingdom was abolished and Okinawa became a prefecture (1879), Karate became a part of the public school curriculum. Taught publicly and to a large number of students for the first time, Karate had to adapt to Japanese values and objectives. But the old form of Karate still existed with the new. Explore why the myth of Karate being developed by Okinawan farmers and peasants was spread in Japan... and still exists today.

Karate came to Hawaii with the very first Okinawan immigrants starting in 1900. Originally limited to members of the Okinawan community, the art is now widely practiced by students of all ethnic groups. Through Karate training, students are provided an opportunity to learn about Okinawan history and culture.

Speakers: Sensei Pat Nakata (Okinawa Shorin-Ryu Karate Association) &
Charles C. Goodin (Hawaii Karate Museum)

Date: February 9, 2012 (Thursday)

Time: 3:00 - 4:30 pm

Location: Moore Hall 319 (Tokioka Room)

Event is free and open to the public.

For more information or disability access, please contact:

Center for Okinawan Studies, tel. 956-0902 / 956-5754

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

One Minute Bunkai -- Angel Lemus

2012-01-30T12:17:00.002-10:00

Aloha,

My good friend, Sensei Angel Lemus, has created a very interesting and useful website called One Minute Bunkai. The URL is oneminutebunkai.com. I hope that you will visit it and watch the bunkai videos -- no music, no verbal explanations... just the techniques shown in a very clear and easy to follow format. I really enjoyed them.

I am very lucky. Through our Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai training sessions, I have had the opportunity to see Lemus Sensei execute such bunkai. He reminds me of a jazz musician, just jamming! He seems to be able to effortlessly transition between techniques and applications -- something I am always working on myself. I have occasionally been on the receiving end of Lemus Sensei's applications, and I can say that they definitely work.

I always say, if you don't know what you are doing, then what are you doing? Bunkai is the meaning of what we do in Karate. One Minute Bunkai is an excellent idea, and I am grateful to Lemus Sensei (and his students) for sharing it with us.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Lecture: Karate in the Ryukyu Kingdom (2/9/12)

2012-01-19T20:30:00.005-10:00

Aloha,

On Thursday, February 9th at 3:00 p.m., Sensei Pat Nakata and I will give a lecture at the University of Hawaii. A poster is above (click the poster for a larger pdf file) and the information is included below. Please feel free to distribute this information to anyone who might be interested. I am very honored to give this lecture with my good friend and senior, Sensei Nakata Sensei.

I have asked my good friend, Sensei Angel Lemus, to take video of the lecture and we hope to be able to present it on YouTube after the event.

I am very encouraged that this lecture is sponsored by a the Center for Okinawan Studies at the University of Hawaii. The subject matter of Karate and its place in Okinawan history and culture is truly worth of study. Those of us who are fortunate to practice and teach the art, are caretakers of this great tradition.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Center for Okinawan Studies Lecture Series

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Karate in the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawa Prefecture, and Hawaii
How is Okinawan Culture Spread through Karate?

Speakers: Sensei Pat Nakata (Okinawa Shorin-Ryu Karate Association) &
Charles C. Goodin (Hawaii Karate Museum)

Date: February 9, 2012 (Thursday)

Time: 3:00 - 4:30 pm

Location: Moore Hall 319 (Tokioka Room)

Event is free and open to the public.

For more information or disability access, please contact:

Center for Okinawan Studies, tel. 956-0902 / 956-5754

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Finding Yourself

2012-01-10T12:31:00.002-10:00

I often hear young people say that they have to find themselves. My reply is that "your self is not something you find, it is something you make."

Finding yourself is not a miraculous thing. It is not a matter of where you live, but rather how you live. If you can't find yourself here, you won't find it over there. It takes work. It is the result of your interactions with other people. It is the result of the challenges you face and how you face them. It is the result of caring about others and things, and sometimes of loss. What are you willing to do for others?

Finding yourself is really experiencing life... and paying attention to the process and results.

Alcohol and drugs can certainly make the process much harder. There is a saying that most people are born sleeping (unaware because of inexperience) and die drunk (unaware because of excess). Watch it! Beware and be aware!

I am still making my self... a little each day. Karate training is part of this process.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Repost About Work and Work Ethics

2012-01-10T12:24:00.003-10:00

This is a combined repost of two posts I had written in March of 2011 about work and work ethics.

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Here are some things I tell my own children about work, and some things I have heard over the years.

Anything worthwhile takes work.
When they complain that a task is difficult, I say, "That's why they call it work."
If it was easy, they could easily hire someone else could do it.
A job worth doing is worth doing well.
You might not be stronger or smarter than another person, but you can accomplish more by working harder.
Chotoku Kyan used to say, "If he practices three times, I will practice seven!" With this work attitude, Kyan Sensei became a great Karate expert.
Fall down six times get up seven.
When you work for someone, give them 100%. Don't show up late, leave early, call in sick unnecessarily, or spend time on private calls. You are there to work. Earn your pay.
If your boss has to lay someone off, who do you think he will let go -- his best worker or his worst? (That is assuming that the worst worker is not a relative.)
A job is not done until it is done. (Keep working at it until it is done.)
A commitment made is a commitment kept. (If you say you are going to do something, do it.)
If you can learn to work hard at Karate training, you can apply that same attitude to school, work, family obligations... anything.
There is no shame to being less skilled than another Karate student, as long as you are still working at it.
In Karate, the work is never done.
Work on your character is never done either.
Life is easier if you enjoy your profession (job).
Generally, you can get a better job (in terms of pay, benefits, prestige, etc.) if you get a good college education. If you have the opportunity, get a graduate degree.
No matter how good your job may be (in terms of pay, benefits, prestige, etc.) you have to consider your quality of life.
Opportunities rarely come by chance, you have to make them.
You make your luck.
Fish or cut bait.
Crap or get off of the pot.
The sooner you start the job the sooner you will finish it.
Thinking about the job is often harder than doing it.
A lazy employee is like dead wood.
If I have to ask you to do it, I might as well do it myself.
Don't ask me if I need help. I will always say no. If you want to help, help. If you don't want to help, don't was time talking about it.
If you help someone, forget about. If someone helps you, never forget it.
Some workers do the work of three people.
Honest work is always worthy of respect.
Do it now. Do not put it off until tomorrow.
Don't say it, do it.
A large weed was once a small weed. Why didn't you pick it then? It would have been much easier.
Finish one job, begin another. Don't waste time in between.
It is hard to find the time to do everything you need to do. You have to make the time.
What you did (accomplished) yesterday is good, but what are you doing today?
No matter how much education and special training you might have, you work for your client. He might have no such education or training, but he is your boss. You are lucky to have him. Don't forget it.
People who work in ivory towers are resented.
I met many attorneys and doctors who had children who did not want to pursue education or a profession. One day when I stayed late at the law office where I worked, I met a cleaning lady from the Philippines. She had come to Hawaii with her husband. He was a cleaning man too. They had ten children (as I recall): three doctors, two lawyers, two engineers, a school teacher, and two children in college. I was in awe of that couple's accomplishments!
Don't just work hard, work smart.
If you have to walk to the other side of the building to get something, ask yourself if there is anything you could take there.
Karate training is always a work in progress.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

What Makes a Dojo?

2012-01-05T22:35:00.003-10:00

One of my sons is getting married soon and is in the market for a house. I recently told him, "What makes a house a home is not the square footage, the furniture, or the location. What makes a house a home is the people inside it."

The same can be said about a dojo. People make the dojo. Everything else is just "things."

The dojo is the place where people get together to practice Karate. When you practice Karate in your daily life, that is your dojo.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

The Objective of Karate

2012-01-03T15:34:00.002-10:00

What is the physical objective of Karate? What is the reason we practice potentially destructive Karate techniques?

To me, the goal is not to win or defeat an opponent. I am not training for this reason. If someone attacks me, he is not an opponent -- he is a criminal. I have not agreed to fight, to a game. I am an innocent victim. I am a victim of this criminal.

My goal is to avoid being injured or killed. If I can run away -- great! If I have to defend myself, my goal is still to avoid being injured or killed. I am not trying to win or defeat the attacker. It may be that the only way to avoid being hurt is to injure or kill the attacker. If so, that is unavoidable. But that does not mean that I defeated the attacker. It is not a win. It is a terrible, but necessary and unavoidable thing.

The goal of Karate is neither to win nor to lose. These apply to other subjects. The goal of Karate (at least the self defense aspects of the art), is to avoid being injured or killed by an attacker. I am never a fighter. If someone attacks me, I am a victim. I am exercising my right to self defense... not fighting.

It's like catching a puhi (moray eel) and trying to take the hook out. You have to expect that it will try to bite you. It's not the eel's fault. It just wants to get away.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Better Than or Worse Than

2012-01-03T15:14:00.004-10:00

This is a story.

Bill and Dave were talking in the dojo as they watched Sam perform a kata.

"I hate Sam," said Bill.

"Why?" asked Dave.

"Because he thinks he is better than me."

"He is better than you," said Dave.

"I know that," conceded Bill. "I hate him because he knows it."

In Karate training, there will be many students who are better than you, and many students who you may be better than. Learn from the former and help the latter. But don't ever let it bother you.

Too many people say that such and such a person is "great!" So what? How did that person become great? If he was born great, that won't help you. But if he worked at it, perhaps you can also become great by working the same way.

And if someone attacks you, it doesn't matter that you are better or worse than other students at the dojo. What matters is what you will do at that very moment.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Perfect Effort

2012-01-03T14:58:00.002-10:00

Instead of trying to perform a kata perfectly, try to make a perfect effort. Let's say that you enter a tournament and perform a kata the very best that you can. Who is going to evaluate it? The judges? How do they know how well you did? Do they even know your style and kata? And even if they do, how do they know what you were thinking, how focused you were, whether there were any gaps between your thoughts and actions?

The focus should not only be on the result, which is a subjective thing anyway. The focus should also be on the effort.

If you learn to make a perfect effort, everything you do will improve. If you only learn to copy one thing "perfectly," so what?

Now, you do not make a perfect effort by sitting seiza and yelling: "I will seek to make a perfect effort!" It is not something you can get by yelling, writing, or thinking. It is something you have to do.

So the next time you perform a kata, don't concentrate solely on the moves and timing, concentrate also on the effort you are making. If you truly try your best... congratulations! Now do that all the time.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Celebrity Sensei

2012-01-03T14:29:00.002-10:00

One of the worst things a student can do is to turn his Sensei into a celebrity. You take a quiet, humble, down to earth, extremely skilled teacher and turn him into a media star. There is a saying that observation changes the result of the experiment. To what extent do the perceptions of the students and the public change the Sensei?

Even if some degree of notoriety is unavoidable, you have to ask what the effect of having a celebrity Sensei is on the student. Is the student learning Karate... or how to become a celebrity? The Sensei is a role model. So what is he a role model of? A student is rarely influenced by only one aspect of a role model.

Try this. Write down all the characteristics of your Sensei. Now circle the ones that you admire and seek to be like.

For me, I do not seek celebrity status. I don't want to be anyone's master or soke or hanshi. I just want to be myself. I like being an "unknown" person. Even if I write articles, very few people visually associate me with that "author" (that is one reason I rarely include my photograph with articles).

Through Karate training, I am working on myself. This is a personal, rather than a public journey. Celebrity status, if anything, would be a distraction. The focus is and should always be training.

You might think that this post is unnecessary. But have you seen any Karate Sensei celebrities? Did you ever see how the students react to them? Have you seen them posing for photos, asking for autographs, asking to have their books signed, wining and dining, rubbing elbows, hanging on, dropping names, etc.? Back in Okinawa or Japan, this person is normal. Here he is a celebrity. What happened?

And, of course, some people are quick to point out that their celebrity Sensei is more well known than your celebrity Sensei.

I will tell you who the real "stars" of Karate are to me: the Sensei who teach in their home, garage, carport, yard, or the park; the Sensei who teach in a recreation center or church and have to pay out of pocket for the rent because they do not charge tuition to students who cannot afford it; the Sensei who work with special needs students; the Sensei who come straight from chemotherapy to the dojo; the Sensei who truly "walk the walk" and talk little about it; and most of all, the Sensei who are dedicated to training and polishing their character.

What counts most is not that you are well known but that you know yourself well.

Celebrity status requires too much baggage.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin