Many years ago, I studied percussion under a world-renowned teacher. One of the most important things I learned was to practise slowly – as slowly as I could possibly go. In his words, “If you can’t play it right when you play slowly, how can you expect to play anything other than rubbish when you…
For purposes of the following, the attacker can use either right gyaku-zuki or oizuki (reverse or lunge punch). However, as your practice of Henshuho advances, you should be able to deal with any kind of attack, from either side of the body. 1. Defender starts from right hangetsu-dachi (half-moon – the Ryusei front stance). As the…
When I travelled to Japan last fall, it was my third trip there and my first time back since 2004. Things in my life have changed since then. I now have a beautiful daughter. I’m out of my 20s and in my early 30s, and lots of training has left me with some wear and…
Tsuyoshi Chitose (1898 to1984) left a legacy in a karate method that he named Chito-Ryu. The name itself implies O-Sensei’s own historical view of the origins of Okinawan karate being rooted in Chinese kempo. The most notable feature of this karate method, though, is its claim to be a synthesis of the two main foundation…
On February 11, 2009, I traveled to Orlando, Florida, to visit James Acampora, an old friend and student of the late Chito-Ryu shihan Art Rott. In order to teach Chito-ryu karate, James has continued the dreams of his instructor by building a dojo and staying true to the way he was taught. I have always…
In trying to create a kyu belt manual for Ryusei Karate-Do, we were faced with a difficult challenge in how to illustrate our kihon, kata and kaisetsu. We didn’t have the money to hire an illustrator, and no one in our organization had the requisite skills. So we were lucky when Kambiz Miranbigi and Rick Going joined…
I was born, in 1959, into a caring family. My father was from a modern Mennonite background and my mother from a city family. The big things in New Hamburg, Ontario, the small Canadian town where I grew up, were baseball, hockey and, to a lesser degree, lacrosse. I was not a sports-oriented kid, so…
To get power in your techniques, whether it’s punching, striking, blocking, kicking or throwing, you need certain common components. But remember, all these different facets of applying power must come together in a fraction of a second, so you have to train yourself thoroughly in how to make these things work separately and as a…
Years ago, at a drinking party in Japan, I finally worked up enough nerve to pose a question that I was afraid would sound stupid. But it was something that had bugged me for a long time. Why do we have the separate basic exercises Kihon Dosa 1 and Kihon Dosa 2? These are the…
I believe the greatest martial arts movie ever made is Groundhog Day (1993), starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. In it, full-of-himself Pittsburgh TV weatherman Phil Connors (Murray) is sent with a producer Rita (MacDowell) and cameraman Larry to Punxsutawney, Penn., to cover its Groundhog Day festivities, on February 2. Phil talks the talk, but doesn’t walk…
In Japan, Shihohai (worship in four directions) is the first ceremony conducted in the Imperial Court at the beginning of each New Year. It is said to have its origins in yin and yang (two primal opposing but complementary principles) but there is no documentation available that clearly indicates this path. However as yin and…
Last December, Roland Figgs-Renshi, the head of Ryusei Karate-Do U.S.A., and his student, Dusty Stalcup, travelled to Japan to participate in the 18th Ryusei-Hai Tournament and Instructors Clinic in Katsukabe, Saitama in Japan. At the tournament, Figgs-Renshi provided his able officiating expertise, honed by his years as a successful competitor. For his part, Dusty was…