New Book: Surviving Armed Assaults
Just after I finished writing the above news post about The Way to Black Belt, I visited a local bookshop with a great range of martial arts books, only to find that Lawrence Kane (co-author of The Way to Black Belt) has written another book, Surviving Armed Assaults.

The book covers everything from before, during and after the confrontation, including the prepared nature through to legally defensible self defence and surviving the post traumatic stress and any legal action.

I’ve not read the book yet, but a flick through tells me this will be an excellent book.

Buy Surviving Armed Assaults at Amazon.com.  Martial Arts World in Sydney has all of the books from Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder.

Shureido Karate Gis in Australia
Shogun Martial Arts in Penrith, NSW, have in stock a selection of the range of karate uniforms from Shureido (Okinawa).  I have long found Shureido to be my favourite choice for my karate gi requirements, and I am pleased to see them available in Australia.  Although more expensive than other brands, the quality of the Shureido product is excellent, and the ease of purchasing them in Australia is great.

The Applied Karate Show is a leading podcast which features interviews with a range of quiet achievers, up-and-coming names and well known personalities in the classical karate world about the histories, personalities, techniques, technologies, applications and philosophies of our tradition.

Episode 13 – Kris Wilder Sensei

Kris Wilder Sensei was our guest in Episode 3, but given his prolific bookwriting activity I thought it was time to catch up.  Join us as we discuss his latest books, DVDs and seminar tours, as well as getting a fascinating and humorous insight into this quietly spoken karateka.  Episode 13 is recorded, and I hope to get it edited and posted within the next few days.  Keep an eye out on www.appliedkarate.com, or subscribe to The Applied Karate Show in iTunes.

Upcoming Episodes

If you’ve got any suggestions for potential interviewees or topics of discussion you’d like to hear on The Applied Karate Show podcast, please shoot an email to des@appliedkarate.com.

Kris Wilder was a guest on Episode 003 of The Applied Karate Show.  Co-author with Lawrence Kane of the excellent The Way of Kata, and author of Lessons from the Dojo Floor, Kris is clearly a talented, knowledgeable and insightful karateka.

Kris’ newest book, The Way of Sanchin Kata: The Application of Power, is a fascinating exploration of the Gojuryu version of the kata Sanchin.

Although I practice a version of the kata Sanchin in my own training, it is quite unlike the Sanchin of Gojuryu (although most likely based on the Goju form).  Thus when I received this book, it went onto my reading list, but wasn’t instantly read.  What a mistake!

I picked up The Way of Sanchin a couple of weeks ago now, and found it hard to put down for a simple reason – it was new!  There have been many books about kata, but few have explored a single kata as deeply and broadly as the way that Kris has in The Way of Kata.  In this respect, it is a revolutionary approach.

The author’s approach is to analyse Sanchin from every angle, each in a separate chapter.  The chapters look at every aspect of the physical execution of the kata, including the various parts of the body, as well as the breathing, focus, and mental aspects of training in Sanchin.

In this unique exploration of kata, the author takes us on a journey that explores natural strength, and the building of power in ways that are validated by the mathematical model known as the Fibonacci Sequence.  I’ve heard several martial artists in the past leverage Pareto Optimality (aka “The 80/20 Rule”) in karate theory, but never the Fibonacci Sequence.

The book also contains a good discussion of makiwara usage, and also hojo undo (traditional strength & conditioning) practice using the chi ishi (a weighted stick).

Clearly the author is an educated man who thinks deeply about his art and the kata that he practices.  I was blown away by this book, and would recommend it as a valuable reference for karateka of all styles who wish to challenge themselves to explore their own practice in new ways.

Buy The Way of Sanchin Kata: The Application of Power from Amazon.com.

Karateka gather together in the dojo to develop their techniques.  By training hard, we develop our technique and along the way, we begin to notice a change in our physique.  While I wish that karate training would absolutely make us leaner, it certainly builds strength, speed and stamina.  In so doing, we develop a level of health that is hopefully beyond that of the average person.

Karate is commonly regarded as a form of self defence.  Most people focus on external threats from which they may have to defend themselves, yet relatively few people face unprovoked physical violence in most modern societies.  It does exist, but the threats from internal issues are far greater.  Obesity, heart problems, diabetes, cancer and other maladies of the body are more likely to be threats to most people than unprovoked physical violence, and the practice of karate allows us to develop a healthy body, better prepared to prevent or minimise many health concerns.

To me self defence begins with having good health.  The tai (body) of Shin Gi Tai reminds us that we need to train, develop and maintain a healthy body.  Good nutrition and the practice of complementary exercises (particularly strength and conditioning exercises like hojo undo and kettlebells) is important for the development of the well rounded karateka.

In the first few years of karate training, the focus for most people will be on technique and the body.  Over time, exposed to the right type of training, ones attitude will also change.  Although it may not be obvious, the etiquette of karate is important.

It is said that “karate begins and ends with respect” (karate wa rei ni hajimari rei ni owaru), and showing respect to others – senior and junior to you – allows you to respect yourself.  By respecting yourself, you can better relate to others, and will lead a more balanced life.

A good karateka has respect for others, and through confronting their own fears, learns to calm themself in the face of adversity, and develop a positive attitude.  Not needing to fight, the karateka can put aside that aspect of their psyche, and will be better prepared to be a contributing member of society.

Self defence relies on a balanced mind, helping us to stay away from negative situations and remain more calm in the face of adversity.

Assiduous Karate training initially develops technique.  Through hard training, our technical practice leads to a stronger, healthier body.  The respect developed from working hard challenging yourself and others leads to a calmer mind and a healthy attitude.  A healthy attitude necessitates being physically healthy.  With a healthy attitude and a strong body, our technique will be better.

In this way, Shin Gi Tai reminds us to aspire to have a healthy mind and a healthy body.  Mind, technique and body are one.

On a final note, I think that the very simple expression Shin Gi Tai is a reminder that although technique (Gi) is at the centre of our training, it is the glue that brings together the mind and the body.  Train harder!

Des Paroz
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