Post by Mod on Sept 22, 2012 7:33:14 GMT -5
Subject: Newsletter May 2011
Date: Fri, 6 May 2011 16:55:59 -0500
Newsletter May 2011
Okinawa Kenpo Karate Kobudo Renme
Taketo Nakamura, grand master
Necomedes Flores, president
How do other people view karate? A questioned asked by sensei Arnold Saenz from Beeville,Texas. First the view from sensei Flores. Karate is a way of life, not a game, or a sports event ... either practice it in private or teach or go to the dojo as as a student. Once you learn a traditional martial art, stick to it. By traditional I mean one from the orient. And one that is not sport or commercial. The only art I know of that is not a sport is karate from Okinawa Japan. I learned it from Okinawan senseis that practiced and taught it as spiritual self improvement and community improvement martial art. By teaching people to use their "empty hand" in a useful way.
Other views are, if you can do a split that makes you a master, or, winning plastic trophies after trophies, belt promotions, how many dojos you have, or to catch an arrow. 99% of their efforts go into one of these specialties and 1% of their efforts go into real karate. Or some other art, Iaido was an art, now it's used as a toy, just something to play with.
I am not saying that all arts are phony or commercialized, only the ones that I have seen. Just because you say karate jutsu, doesn't mean that you practice it. I am sure that somewhere out there people are doing real Okinawan karate, they just don't brag about it.
In Okinawa, all dojos were in the back yard, and if they didn't have a back yard, the sensei and his family would live on top of the dojo. One dojo was under a tree, another in a cave in Itoman , another the sensei' family lived in the dojo. From the sugar cane fields to the family tombs and all senseis had a real day job. The greatest American karate men I know have a day job and teach in their backyard.
One sensei I personaly know, taught and trained by Odo Sensei, has Parkinson's disease, and yet he still practices and teaches, lives on his social security and military pension. This sensei doesn't care what people think about him or his physical condition. He is also diabetic. This sensei is dedicated to passing on what sensei Odo taught him. He doesn't go around with the wounded duck syndrome (help me I am wounded, help help help) he helps himself ... he don't sit around feeling sorry for himself ... he is out there going to other's homes, people who have no dojos, and teaching them so they can have good healthy lives, of course his being in the marines helped big time. Some people are unfortunate in health and that doesn't hold them back.
I, myself, was slowly dying for about 6 months, western medicine could do nothing, so I decided I would die doing karate, so I held classes every day, holding on to the makiwara so I could stand in front of my class and kick. Then my son introduced me to his traditional Chinese medicine teacher and she made some tea and within 30 seconds after I drank the special tea I could walk. Then my son took over, and now at 67 I am doing good and looking good in karate, my job in construction and in my everyday life. I am not bragging about how great I am, I just want to let people know that everyone can be like me or better. Better can be very tough but it can be done. I want my students to be at the minimum like me -- ideally -- better than I ever was. I challenge everybody to prove that that they are better than me physically (mentally?). Well anyway, the physical part is great, you don't need pills or drugs, just proper Okinawan martial arts, and a good diet, "eat to LIVE -- don't live to EAT" Also, don't drug or drink yourself to DEATH.
What is your view on karate?
Pactrick Wahley's view on karate.
I think karate was intended for the working person, peasant farmer, cop or firefighter, homemaker, or just a busy person with a real life. I think a few of MMA people miss this point. Many of us are on our own a lot without a support group. Basics is about all people have time for. Twenty minutes of basics, twenty minutes of kata should be obtainable even by the busiest of people at least a couple of times a week (more is better but we are talking about responsible working people). A couple of days a week could be spent on machiwara, bag and strength building. These are just minimums that a person can attain to great benefit. I remember when in Okinawa classes were 2 hours long, 20 minutes basics, then went on to kata, ipon kumite and bogu kumite.
It was a good plan and I saw many good fighters develop under this plan.
Your Opinion
From: Patrick Whaley <plwhaley@gci.net>
Date: April 1, 2011 7:00:21 PM CDT
To: nick flores <nfdojo@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: NFDojo April 2011 newsletter
Great comments,
I think real karate was intended for the working person whether it be the peasant farmer, cop/firefighter, construction worker, homemaker, or just a busy person with a real life. I think a lot of MMA people miss this point. Many of us are on our own a lot without a large support group. Basics is about all most people have time for.
20 minutes of basics + 20 minutes of kata should be attainable by even the busiest person at least a couple of times a week (more is better --but we are talking about responsible working people). A couple days a week could be spent on makawara/ bag / strength building. These are just minimums that I think an average working person could attain to great benefit.
I remember in Okinawa classes were two hours long. 20 minutes were spent on basics then we usually went to Kata and then ipon kumite and bogu fighting. I was a simple plan and I saw many good fighters develop under this system. Most of our class centered on basics of stretching, punches, kicks and blocks just as Sensei Fores now teaches them and kata. We did bogu about once a week sometimes more.
It has been a long time since I have been in a bogu fight. But it's affects on me were not wasted. The greatest value (at least for me) has been "mind set". The fights we had in Okinawa (especially against other Okinawa Kenpo dojos) were intense. We were not allowed to back up or let off on our opponent - no rest. It was attack, attack, attack. There were literally no rules for 3 minute rounds where your opponent tried to kill you. We had no time to measure our opponent (such as in real life), They did not care about my pretty kicks or my brand of music (we never had music in the dojo -- thank God). My opponent only had one simple plan ... to kill me, period.
Personally, I feel fighting is a primal experience. There is no thinking. If you have to think "side kick" you just may have lost the fight. Having fear is natural, losing fine motor skills is natural, engaging the enemy in close quarters is natural. Totally different mind set than tournament style. Bogu allows you to develop this mind set and still come back another day to train. I feel bogu is a key element that separates us from other styles and primary reason I never branched off to learn another style. I also think our basics and katas are top notch.
Is a lot of bogu necessary? Personally I think not. I fought a lot in Okinawa but still tell people my best and worst fight was my first fight. I got the tar beat out of me on that one and had my great awakening -the world is not a perfect organized place and fighting isn't either. We never had a winner or a loser. We know how we did. No one had to tell us. I think it made me a more honest person.
I am not a fighter by nature. I hate fighting and try to avoid it. But I still train to the mind set of attack, attack and attack because I am a simple guy. ( I may not know how my opponent fights but I do know how I fight (this is the best I can hope for) I think most of us are simple people in the sense we want to live and let live. I could never have a fighting spirit if I was only fighting for me ego or pride. I may be just me but it just seemed like a useless cause even when I was in my early twenties. For me, I had to imagine my opponent was a woman abuser or rapist or some piece of scum that did not deserve to breath my air. I don't think karate was developed for the sporting use against a highly disciplined athlete in a contest of rules --but more as a insurance policy during the least expected time/date against some undisciplined scumbag that wants to do harm.
On the lighter side:
Kristi Rowlett taaditional chinese medicine practioner is a sifu she teaches Tai Chi and Chi Kung and practices Sanchin (the Okinawan version of iron shirt Chi Kung), she is licensed in Traditional Chinese Medicine which includes acupuncture and herbs. She came to South Texas to heal people not to make money.
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Date: Fri, 6 May 2011 16:55:59 -0500
Newsletter May 2011
Okinawa Kenpo Karate Kobudo Renme
Taketo Nakamura, grand master
Necomedes Flores, president
How do other people view karate? A questioned asked by sensei Arnold Saenz from Beeville,Texas. First the view from sensei Flores. Karate is a way of life, not a game, or a sports event ... either practice it in private or teach or go to the dojo as as a student. Once you learn a traditional martial art, stick to it. By traditional I mean one from the orient. And one that is not sport or commercial. The only art I know of that is not a sport is karate from Okinawa Japan. I learned it from Okinawan senseis that practiced and taught it as spiritual self improvement and community improvement martial art. By teaching people to use their "empty hand" in a useful way.
Other views are, if you can do a split that makes you a master, or, winning plastic trophies after trophies, belt promotions, how many dojos you have, or to catch an arrow. 99% of their efforts go into one of these specialties and 1% of their efforts go into real karate. Or some other art, Iaido was an art, now it's used as a toy, just something to play with.
I am not saying that all arts are phony or commercialized, only the ones that I have seen. Just because you say karate jutsu, doesn't mean that you practice it. I am sure that somewhere out there people are doing real Okinawan karate, they just don't brag about it.
In Okinawa, all dojos were in the back yard, and if they didn't have a back yard, the sensei and his family would live on top of the dojo. One dojo was under a tree, another in a cave in Itoman , another the sensei' family lived in the dojo. From the sugar cane fields to the family tombs and all senseis had a real day job. The greatest American karate men I know have a day job and teach in their backyard.
One sensei I personaly know, taught and trained by Odo Sensei, has Parkinson's disease, and yet he still practices and teaches, lives on his social security and military pension. This sensei doesn't care what people think about him or his physical condition. He is also diabetic. This sensei is dedicated to passing on what sensei Odo taught him. He doesn't go around with the wounded duck syndrome (help me I am wounded, help help help) he helps himself ... he don't sit around feeling sorry for himself ... he is out there going to other's homes, people who have no dojos, and teaching them so they can have good healthy lives, of course his being in the marines helped big time. Some people are unfortunate in health and that doesn't hold them back.
I, myself, was slowly dying for about 6 months, western medicine could do nothing, so I decided I would die doing karate, so I held classes every day, holding on to the makiwara so I could stand in front of my class and kick. Then my son introduced me to his traditional Chinese medicine teacher and she made some tea and within 30 seconds after I drank the special tea I could walk. Then my son took over, and now at 67 I am doing good and looking good in karate, my job in construction and in my everyday life. I am not bragging about how great I am, I just want to let people know that everyone can be like me or better. Better can be very tough but it can be done. I want my students to be at the minimum like me -- ideally -- better than I ever was. I challenge everybody to prove that that they are better than me physically (mentally?). Well anyway, the physical part is great, you don't need pills or drugs, just proper Okinawan martial arts, and a good diet, "eat to LIVE -- don't live to EAT" Also, don't drug or drink yourself to DEATH.
What is your view on karate?
Pactrick Wahley's view on karate.
I think karate was intended for the working person, peasant farmer, cop or firefighter, homemaker, or just a busy person with a real life. I think a few of MMA people miss this point. Many of us are on our own a lot without a support group. Basics is about all people have time for. Twenty minutes of basics, twenty minutes of kata should be obtainable even by the busiest of people at least a couple of times a week (more is better but we are talking about responsible working people). A couple of days a week could be spent on machiwara, bag and strength building. These are just minimums that a person can attain to great benefit. I remember when in Okinawa classes were 2 hours long, 20 minutes basics, then went on to kata, ipon kumite and bogu kumite.
It was a good plan and I saw many good fighters develop under this plan.
Your Opinion
From: Patrick Whaley <plwhaley@gci.net>
Date: April 1, 2011 7:00:21 PM CDT
To: nick flores <nfdojo@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: NFDojo April 2011 newsletter
Great comments,
I think real karate was intended for the working person whether it be the peasant farmer, cop/firefighter, construction worker, homemaker, or just a busy person with a real life. I think a lot of MMA people miss this point. Many of us are on our own a lot without a large support group. Basics is about all most people have time for.
20 minutes of basics + 20 minutes of kata should be attainable by even the busiest person at least a couple of times a week (more is better --but we are talking about responsible working people). A couple days a week could be spent on makawara/ bag / strength building. These are just minimums that I think an average working person could attain to great benefit.
I remember in Okinawa classes were two hours long. 20 minutes were spent on basics then we usually went to Kata and then ipon kumite and bogu fighting. I was a simple plan and I saw many good fighters develop under this system. Most of our class centered on basics of stretching, punches, kicks and blocks just as Sensei Fores now teaches them and kata. We did bogu about once a week sometimes more.
It has been a long time since I have been in a bogu fight. But it's affects on me were not wasted. The greatest value (at least for me) has been "mind set". The fights we had in Okinawa (especially against other Okinawa Kenpo dojos) were intense. We were not allowed to back up or let off on our opponent - no rest. It was attack, attack, attack. There were literally no rules for 3 minute rounds where your opponent tried to kill you. We had no time to measure our opponent (such as in real life), They did not care about my pretty kicks or my brand of music (we never had music in the dojo -- thank God). My opponent only had one simple plan ... to kill me, period.
Personally, I feel fighting is a primal experience. There is no thinking. If you have to think "side kick" you just may have lost the fight. Having fear is natural, losing fine motor skills is natural, engaging the enemy in close quarters is natural. Totally different mind set than tournament style. Bogu allows you to develop this mind set and still come back another day to train. I feel bogu is a key element that separates us from other styles and primary reason I never branched off to learn another style. I also think our basics and katas are top notch.
Is a lot of bogu necessary? Personally I think not. I fought a lot in Okinawa but still tell people my best and worst fight was my first fight. I got the tar beat out of me on that one and had my great awakening -the world is not a perfect organized place and fighting isn't either. We never had a winner or a loser. We know how we did. No one had to tell us. I think it made me a more honest person.
I am not a fighter by nature. I hate fighting and try to avoid it. But I still train to the mind set of attack, attack and attack because I am a simple guy. ( I may not know how my opponent fights but I do know how I fight (this is the best I can hope for) I think most of us are simple people in the sense we want to live and let live. I could never have a fighting spirit if I was only fighting for me ego or pride. I may be just me but it just seemed like a useless cause even when I was in my early twenties. For me, I had to imagine my opponent was a woman abuser or rapist or some piece of scum that did not deserve to breath my air. I don't think karate was developed for the sporting use against a highly disciplined athlete in a contest of rules --but more as a insurance policy during the least expected time/date against some undisciplined scumbag that wants to do harm.
On the lighter side:
Kristi Rowlett taaditional chinese medicine practioner is a sifu she teaches Tai Chi and Chi Kung and practices Sanchin (the Okinawan version of iron shirt Chi Kung), she is licensed in Traditional Chinese Medicine which includes acupuncture and herbs. She came to South Texas to heal people not to make money.
Twitter nfdojo
Sent from my iPhone
Search
Reply to: Reply to ARNOLD SAENZ
Send