New Hartford Karate Club

12/28/2025

Great discussion on basics of shuto techniques from Cameron Quinn. How to properly form Shuto, some hints about modifications to protect your hands from long term damage (your hands are your weapons; take good care of them!), and some advice on kihon applications.

Continuing with the Kihon Series, today we are going over the shuto techniques. Shuto techniques are fast or heavy, depending on the target and use. And they...

05/08/2025

On some nights we practice walking on the mat. We start in a kneeling position and walk from one end of the mat to the other. What are we learning? For one, not all combat will be standing. Fight long enough and you'll end up on the ground. Best to learn what to do before you get there.
In this video, we see how a branch of jujitsu adapts movements to that situation. Note how much of the learning happens from a kneeling position. Note other principles that are found in our style: force against force, redirection of force, etc.
My second comment is the kneeling walk isn't meant to be a slow deliberate slide from one end of the mat to the other. We teach it that way so you can see how to move. But to really learn it, you should be able to traverse the mat as quickly as a light jog. You should also be able to spin quickly to face any direction.

Today I'm trying a 400-year-old style of Japanese Ju-Jutsu called Yagyu Shingan Ryu. My teacher is Sensei Per Eriksson. He holds the highest rank of Menkyo K...

05/08/2025

A change of pace
Sometimes going very slowly helps us. In this video, a Tai Chi instructor shows the self defense movements behind the practice and later shows how we can adapt some of its training methods to our study of kata.

PS - for those of you learning (or have learned) Tensho - can you spot applications of that kata in this video?

PPS - for all - can you spot these concepts:
GO NO SEN: allow the opponent to attack first so as to open up targets for counterattack. (remember the "sticky hands" drill?)
SEN NO SEN: attack at the exact moment that the opponent attacks
SEN SEN NO SEN: attack before the opponent attacks

Today I'm visiting Dr. Mark Cheng to learn Tai Chi applications for real fighting (Yang style). Although Taichi is a popular health practice, it's a Chinese ...

04/30/2025

And one more koan:
During his years of frustration, the master asked many questions of the student:

What value is a broken cane?
Does the finger that points at the moon give light or does the moon give light?
Does the heart follow the footsteps or do the footsteps follow the heart?
When do we see the grain of the Bo?

After many years of training, the student saw them as rocks in the stream.

04/30/2025

2024 World Championships
Team Japan

FINAL JAPAN - TURKIYE MALE TEAM KATA KARATE WORLD CUP 2024 SUBSCRIBE ► http://bit.ly/N7c4H0Official YouTube channel of the World Karate Federation**********...

04/30/2025

A Koan:

The Still Air

Beneath a silent mountain, a student trained under trees unmoving and alongside a whispering stream. His master moved like shadows over the stream’s rocks, steps leaving no trace.

Each year, the student asked, “When will I be ready for promotion?” Pointing to the still trees, the master said, “No wind stirs.”

Seasons turned, and the student’s frustration grew like winter’s breath until, one day, his kata flowed like the mountain stream.

The leaves hung still. The mountain remained unmoved. The master pointed and said, “The wind stirs.”

04/16/2024

Three years have gone by since Kancho's passing. Mono no aware remains.

A kiai rings strong,
still echoes the master's voice,
soft as spring's last breath.

09/04/2023

Good video on Pinan Sono Ni
https://youtu.be/pQ903hfG3BA

Some points to consider:
1) Kata is a way to bring precision into your techniques. Being strong or fast isn't good if the technique is not performed correctly. Similarly, you've not mastered the kata if you know the moves but can only perform them at 10% speed and power (be aware that some moves are intentionally slow.)
2) Each kata teaches us something. We should know what those things are and how they prepare you for the next kata(s).
3) Although not covered, there's bunkai behind each one. Learn the techniques so you can demonstrate the bunkai.

Learning things more deeply than the surface is something we can bring into our lives. There's three (!?) sides to every story. We seek first to understand others; only then can we hope to be understood.

Osu!

0:00 OP 0:15 Introduction1:52 Pin-an 2 lesson2:54 Order 1~48:03 Order 510:17 Order 3~612:12 Order 7~1014:42 Pin-an 2 lesson16:45 Summary■K...

05/11/2023

The ink never lies.

SHODO is a Japanese word often translated and described as "the way of artistic handwriting or beautiful writing." It is one of the oldest art forms in Japan, developed in the 5th century. Like painting, Shodo is a highly regarded art form in Japan with an aesthetic. The depth of beauty in Shodo results from diverse techniques and complex movements accompanied by a flow of brush and ink. The tokonoma we place in front of our training hall holds an example of Shodo.
Mushin is often described as a state of no mind, non-thoughts, a high level of spirituality, and a heart – free of disturbances. We can describe Mushin as a meditative state as well.
As you might know, in Mushin Do, we learn that body and mind are as one; they are not separate things. When the body and mind are united, you are closer to the sense of Mushin as a clear mind / transparent mind. As you gain awareness of Mushin, you become aware of your inner energy, and you can make that energy flow lighter and smoother.
In Shodo, you can make this momentary energy instantly visible and solid on the paper in front of your eyes. When you are not at ease or nervous, you see it immediately in the shaky lines – when you are composed, you see that in the light lines. What we see on the paper reflects our state of mind.
In Mushin Do, our "ink" is our training. In a sense, you are making lines in space through movements. Your techniques are crisp, accurate, and flow if you are focused. If you are not, then your techniques are "staccato", sloppy, and lack power.
We included several images of Mushin caligraphy to show how we can interpret one character in many ways. Each reflects the state of the artist's mind at the time of creation. The same is true of your training. Once we learn Kihon and Kata, we can reinterpret them.
Kata gives us an easy example of all of this. As you practice a kata on the beach, look at the marks you left on the sand. Are they straight or shaky? Do they reflect deep, powerful movements? Are they light? What does that say about your state of mind? About your training?
The ink never lies.
http://www.shodocalligraphy.com/uploads/1/0/6/4/10648756/7625030_orig.jpg
http://www.shodocalligraphy.com/uploads/1/0/6/4/10648756/2960360_orig.jpg
http://www.shodocalligraphy.com/uploads/1/0/6/4/10648756/5396950_orig.jpg

03/26/2023

Three techniques/principles:

1) Misdirection. Fake high to hit low. Learn to make your mawashi geri fast and powerful. Then it can be used as a feint as demonstrated in the video below.

2)Flow. Use your rotation in tai sabaki to set up a counter. Here, deflecting a low kick sets up an uraken strike to the ribs followed by mawashi geri to the opposite leg.

3) Timing. Get on the train, get off the train. Set a pattern by repeating an attack twice, On the third iteration modify the attack. Here, seiken to the upper body followed by mae geri to the leg is the pattern. The pattern is changed by throwing an oblique kick to the shoulder or ribs followed by a hook kick to the opposite side. Note that the start of the attacks are all to the opponent's left side and the ifnal blow is to the right.

Senpai Grzegorz Kedzierski is showing us 3 of his most favourite Karate Kyokushin Knockdown Kumite Combinations and Techniques.Senpai Grzegorz Kedzierski is ...

03/26/2023

Hyakunin Kumite - 100 Man kumite
Tameshi (Ta - meh -scee) means "trial" in English; trial being like an arduous journey. Thus, Tameshi-wari is the practice of placing challenges before us.
San dan testing requires that you fight 10 rounds, which is difficult. Now, imagine doing that 10 times over! Mas Oyama considered hyakunin kumite to be one of the ultimate tamesi for a karateka. Oyama did it three times, once per day for three consecutive days. Shihan Shigeru Oyama, who taught in Fairfield, did it as did Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura. (Kancho Ganci trained under Kaicho Nakamura in NYC in the 1970's and 80's.)
Judd Reid completed the challenge on October 22, 2011. Kaicho Robert McInnes, Shorin Kempo, described hyakunin kumite this way, "The [...] kumite is not just about the fight on the day... it's about the build-up to the day." That's true of any Tameshi-wari and something to remember as you train.
With that in mind, here's a documentary on Shihan Reid as he trained for that challenge.

Journey to the 100man fight - The Judd Reid Story.Judd's incredible story of life long dedication to martial arts and his attempt at the 100 man kumite. The ...

01/18/2023

Here's some Bo kihon.

Kyokushin-kan Karate Basic Bo Techniques