Importance of Using Your Core --- Chief Instructor's Blog April 2025

In classes for the last month or two, I have been reemphasizing the use of core abdominal muscles.  Use of core muscles is foundational to improving and having effective martial arts techniques.

From a physical perspective, by using core abdominal muscles:

·         You will improve your balance which will, in turn, improve all your techniques especially one-legged techniques such as kicks, cat stance, etc.

·         You will improve your stability, which will make your less likely to be pushed around or knocked off balance in an altercation.

·         You can add physical power to your kicking and striking techniques, since you will drive using more total body versus just your legs, arms, shoulders etc.

·         Your sparring will be more fluid as you are moving through your center where you can change direction and move more easily

·         You can reduce the occurrence of injuries, as a strong use of core protects and supports other muscles such as your back muscles.

In addition, by focusing on use of your core, you are also putting your mind at your center (where it so happens your lower core muscles are), and therefore tapping into the mind-body connection and the energy side of martial arts.  Some of the benefits of this include:

·         You are energetically connecting your upper and lower body which will result in similar physical improvements listed above (improved balance, stability, power, ease of movement, etc.). And since it is coming from an energetic perspective you actually use less muscle and be as or even more effective in your techniques and movement.  And by using less muscles you will last longer in an altercation.

·         Your techniques will be more coordinated.

·         Your techniques will be faster as muscles and muscular tension reduces the speed of techniques

·         By remaining focused on your center, you are able to remain calmer and keep even breathing, which is critical in an altercation. 

·         Your center is also the source of your internal energy (ki, chi, qi); therefore, by focusing on your center you and tap in and use this internal energy

 

Regards,

Kelly

 

“The physical center is in your belly; if your mind is set there as well, you are assured of victory in any endeavor”.  ~ Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), founder of Aikido

Retaining Your Learning to Get More Out of Your Training --- Chief Instructor's Blog March 2025

 

Since none of us spend all our time in martial arts training, retaining as much of the learning from class as possible is critical to improving and progressing in an art form. 

Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850-1909), a German psychologist who studied memory found that forgetting is exponential in nature.  This forgetting curve was documented in his book Memory in 1885.  “It starts off very steep—the amount of retained knowledge drops dramatically soon after we acquire new information.  In fact, most of the forgetting occurs within the first hour of learning.  And that’s not all.  After a day or two, we typically forget around 75% of what we have learned” [Ref. 1].

“Without any additional work, we will quickly forget most of the content of a course, for instance. A week later, it will be as if the learning had never occurred at all.“  [Ref. 1]

So how does one counter this and retain learning?   Some ideas are listed below.

1.  Be in The Right Frame of Mind During Class.  In my January 2023 blog, titled “Getting the Most Out of Your Training”, I described being present in class, enjoying the journey, and having a positive mindset will help in getting the most out of your training.  A positive mindset will also help in retaining information from class.  In my June 2024 blog, titled “Benefits of Approaching Training as Fun”, I discuss this further.  Being present also means leaving any anxiety or stress from your day, week at the door of the dojang.  “Stress and anxiety can negatively affect your ability to form and store memories.” [Ref. 1]. 

2.  Practice immediately:  If learned something new, practice daily or every other day for at least week even if only for 15 minutes.  “In order to retain knowledge and fully embed the learned material into our long-term memory, we have to periodically review the information.” [Ref. 1]

3. Write it Down: Take notes (even in class between drills, etc.) and review your notes daily if you can.

4. Visual it.  Spend time that night after the learning and then daily afterwards visualizing the new information.

5.  Understand the principle and the why.  If you understand the principle and the why behind the techniques, this can support retaining the learning.

6.  Explain it/ Demonstrate it.  By explaining it (and maybe explaining it while demonstrating it) to someone else or to yourself later that night or over the next day or two, it may improve the retaining the information and better understood the information.

7.  Learn an application.  If you also learn application(s), then this can improve the retention of learning new techniques.

8.  Connect new information to existing knowledge.  If you can connect it to existing knowledge, you can retain the new information faster.  Many times, what appears to be new is similar to something else you have learned.  Review my December 2017 blog, “How Many Different Techniques are There? “ that further explores this concept. 

Taking the time to come to class and learn is the first part in progressing in the martial arts, but if you are not retaining the information well, I highly suggest using some of the techniques above to retain that learning.

Regards,

Kelly

“Without Knowledge, Skill cannot be focused. Without Skill, Strength cannot be brought to bear and without Strength, Knowledge may not be applied." ~ Alexander the Great (356 BC – 323 BC), king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, undefeated in battle and is considered to be one of history's greatest and most successful military commanders

References:

1.      Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve (Definition + Examples) - Practical Psychology, retrieved 2/22/2025

2.      This One Tip Will Massively Improve Your Karate Skills, retrieved 2/22/2025

3.      8 cognitive strategies to enhance retention and learning - Cognassist, retrieved 2/22/2025

Controlling The Fight - - Chief Instructor's Blog February2025

Controlling a fight is a critical aspect of self-defense.  If you have to defend yourself with physical techniques, controlling the fight is key to the outcome.  Many things we physically practice in class will help such as timing, speed, reaction time, but there are aspects beyond the physical that are needed to control a fight or altercation.

1.  Mindset

Having the right mindset is critical during an altercation.  In self-defense it is not about winning or losing but staying focused and confident with only one goal – walk away with no to minimal injury to self or family/ friends if you are with them.  For more information on mindset and training the mind, I refer you to older blogs: May 2011, Your State of Mind Matters Most (and Matters Most); September 2017, Training The Mind by Staying Focused; October 2017, Training The Mind Through Attitude/Intent; and July 2024, Benefits of Positive Mindset.

2. Controlling Your Emotions

In my most previous blog, I discussed managing fear is an important aspect of training.  Fear is just one emotion that one needs to manage/control during an altercation.  Anger is another emotion that can cause you to lose control of a fight versus control a fight.  As stated by Chojun Miyagi, founder of a Gōjū-ryū Okinawan Karate, “If your temper rises, withdraw your hand. If your hand rises, withdraw your temper.”  Both anger and fear elevate your heart rate and your blood pressure which could also result in short, shallow breathing. As stated in class as well as in the blogs, managing your emotions and your breathing will result in more clarity of mind and calmness which will help you control a fight.

 3. Be Strategic

Controlling the fight is also being more strategic.  I see in sparring many times, it looks like two people just crashing into each other and trying to get to a target first.  This may work in a sport like boxing or sport-style Tae Kwon Do, but this is not the right approach for self-defense.  Controlling the fight means not just throwing punches and kicks and hoping one lands but seeing openings and taking advantages of mistakes or vulnerabilities of your opponent.  Controlling the fight means not following the pace and cadence and reacting to your opponent but being the one who controls the cadence.  Controlling the fight means adapting when some technique is not working and finding another way.  It is about knowing what, when and how to attack effectively.

Becoming more strategic takes time.  If you are not already, I encourage you to be more conscious in what techniques you are using and reflect how effective it was.  This is the start of being more strategic.

 

Regards,

Kelly

 

“Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased. Even when your spirit is calm do not let your body relax, and when your body is relaxed do not let your spirit slacken. Do not let your spirit be influenced by your body, or your body be influenced by your spirit.” ~ Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), legendary Japanese samurai and author of The Book of Five Rings

 

 

 

 

Managing Fear - - Chief Instructor's Blog January 2025

Fear is not a bad thing, but it must be managed.  

In the outside world, if you notice yourself feeling fear, this can be useful.  Your intuition maybe telling you that you are in a bad situation.  If you sense fear, you should listen to your intuition.  However, you must manage that fear in order to perform effective techniques with control.

Even in class, you may have experienced fear.  Maybe you have been fearful of getting hurt in self-defense or sparring.  Maybe you have been fearful of failing or not being able to learn a new technique or form.  Maybe you have been fearful what the instructor or other students are thinking of how you are performing. 

There are several techniques you can use to manage fear.

First off, you have to be exposed to situations that invoke fear and challenge your comfort zone.  If you just shy away from every situation when you feel fear, you will not be able to manage it when you need to.  So, for example, spar against those you think are more skilled, learn new techniques you are uncomfortable with, and demonstrate new techniques in front of the other students.

Also, acknowledge what you are feeling.  It is okay to feel fear and know that it can be normal when you are in an uncomfortable situation or learning new techniques.  And even talk to your instructor about it, if you feel comfortable doing so to get the support you need to cope with it at that time.

Make sure you are breathing those deep, slow, belly breaths.  As stated in class and written in other blogs, deep belly breaths help you slow down your heart rate, It also provides more oxygen to your body resulting in clearer thoughts and actions, muscles having the oxygen they need to perform, more endurance to last during the altercation, and the energy flow that accompanies breathing to make your techniques more effective.  For more information on deep breathing, please read the December 2016 blog, “Deep Breathing…Could Be A Life Saver.”

Use visualization especially before starting a sparring match or self-defense imagining yourself performing the techniques effectively.

Stay present and take it one class, one drill, one technique at a time.  Part of the learning process is trying new things, where sometimes things work well, and sometimes they do not. 

By facing your fears and managing the emotion, you can take action in a controlled, effective manner.  In a real altercation, this can be the difference of walking away with minimal to no injury or not. 

Regards,

Kelly

"To understand your fear is the beginning of really seeing." ~ Bruce Lee, (1940 –1973) American-born Chinese Hong Kong martial artist, actor, and founder of Jeet Kune Do

References:

1. https://www.martialdevotee.com/articles/overcoming-the-fear-of-combat, retrieved 12/27/2024

2. Fear and Anxiety in Martial Arts – Why It’s Normal and How to Conquer It | Utopia, retrieved 12/27/2024

3. Fearless Warriors: Exploring the Psychology of Fear in Martial Arts, retrieved 12/27/2024

How to Improve Your Body Awareness - - Chief Instructor's Blog December 2024

 

Very acute body awareness will help you immensely in your martial arts training.  An instructor can tell you that you are out of physical alignment or not performing the motion correctly, but if you cannot feel the difference, it will take much longer to master the techniques.

Body awareness is your ability to “feel and know” the movement, action, and location of where your limbs are in space without using sensory organs (i.e., sight, sound, touch). 

Examples of body awareness includes knowing if your feet are parallel in horse stance without looking at your feet, feeling the difference between a swing kick and a piston action from kick, and feeling a locked leg versus unlocked in turnaway kick.

So, how can you improve your body awareness? 

1. Understand the why behind the movement.  Especially if you are an experiential learner, examining and understanding the why behind the movement and the muscles that are required can help you improve your body awareness.

2. Ensure you understand verbal cues.  Especially if you are an audible learner, if you do not understand the verbal cues, ask questions (in or after class depending on what is more appropriate), or take time after class to do research.

3. Visualize performing the techniques correctly.  Going through the movements and walking through visually all the details to perform techniques properly can improve body awareness.

4. Use mirrors.  Especially if you are a visual learner, use the mirrors to see what instructors are seeing.

5. Practice slowly and mindfully.  When you go slowly and with focused attention on the minute details and how it feels when performed correctly, it will improve your body awareness. 

6. Scan your body as you go through techniques to improve that connection between the mind and the physical body.

• If a complete scan of your body is too much at first, break it up so you just focus on one item at a time.  For example, when going through low block in attack stance, maybe you just scan your body to ensure a locked leg at first.  Then focus on your ”prep” being at the center of your sternum and then focus on your fist stopping above the knee.

7. Practice balance.  When practicing balance, such as standing on one leg, in order to stay upright you will need to fine tune your alignment and learn to adjust your body.  This sensory feedback can improve body awareness.

8. Use resistance bands. The use of resistance bands can provide physical feedback if in alignment or not and allows you to feel the difference.  When you physically feel when a technique is performed correctly, then you will improve your body awareness.

9. Strike hard targets (e.g., bags, shields, etc.).  Similar to the resistance bands, striking hard targets can provide instant feedback if not in alignment or performing techniques properly.

Improving your body awareness will not only help you improve your techniques, self-defense, sparring, etc. but can also prevent injuries.  Even if you think you have very good body awareness, I encourage you to include some or all of the above in your training to continually refine your body awareness.

 

Regards,

Kelly

 

"You may train for a long time, but if you merely move your hands and feet and jump up and down like a puppet, learning karate is not very different from learning a dance. You will never have reached the heart of the matter; you will have failed to grasp the quintessence of karate-do." ~  Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), founder of Shotokan Karate

 

References:

1.      https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/proprioception, retrieved 11/29/2024

2.      https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nervous-system/proprioception.htm, retrieved 11/29/2024

3.      https://www.empoweryourwellness.online/improve-your-body-awareness-for-injury-prevention/, retrieved 11/29/2024

How To Improve Your Sparring --- Chief Instructor's Blog November 2024

 

Han Moo Kwan is only to be used to protect yourself when no other means to end a conflict exists.  If you have to protect yourself, it will be very dynamic in nature.  Sparring is a means of practicing in a dynamic situation and therefore, being better prepared for such a conflict. 

In the beginning, sparring may feel awkward and you may not feel very effective.  So, how can you improve your sparring skills?

 

1.      Improve your basics

Sparring is using combinations of your basics effectively.  So, if want to improve sparring, continue to work on your basics, such that you can move from technique to technique from any stance comfortably. 

 

2.      Improve your speed

Improving speed includes not just performing techniques faster, but improving your reaction time.  Also, to improve speed practice so that all your techniques are linear.  Linear techniques by nature are faster to get from point A to point B.  And it also includes eliminating any extra, unnecessary movements.

 

3.      Improve your timing/perception

You may think that if you improve your speed, it will improve your timing. Yes, and no.  If you’re faster than your opponent, you may be able to get a strike in more easily, but timing is also seeing the opening and then executing.  Effective sparring is not blasting rapid firing and hoping a strike lands.  Effectively sparring is throwing and landing each strike which means seeing an opening and hitting your target each time. 

 

4.      Spar different partners

Ever person spars differently and has different strengths.  By sparring against different people, you will learn how to defend yourself in a variety of situations and will learn to adapt. 

 

5.      Perform techniques to do damage / be disruptive

This is a bit trickier since we want folks to be able to practice and return to class.  I used to work with a gentleman who used to tell me that in his Karate Club if someone did not end up with a broken nose that night it was not a good spar night.  While I can appreciate that this intensity is valuable, not being able to train 3 out of 4 weeks a month if injured does not help as well.  So, you need to practice to do damage just shy of the point of injury, and at least be disruptive or having the intention to be disruptive.  If you are blocking and it does not change the trajectory of the opponent’s technique, then it is not disruptive. Review the blog, Training The Mind Through Attitude/Intent from October 2017 for more details on ways to train for intent.

 

6.      Control your emotions

If you are fearful, you will fight defensively and be overpowered more easily.  If you are overly aggressive, you can easily be taken advantage of because your energy or force will take you off-balance.  If you are angry, you will overextend yourself and again, that can lead to be taken advantage of easily.  If you are thinking negatively, you will also be ineffective.  To be effective, you should have no emotion and want to practice in a state of mushin, See Free the Mind – Be Like Water blog from November 2010.

 

7.      Improve your breathing

As mentioned in a couple previous blogs, the latest being Deep Breathing…Could Be A Life Saver from December 2016), deeper breathing in high pressure situations will help kick in the parasympathetic nervous system to slow down your heart rate and breathing, allowing yourself to provide more oxygen to your body resulting in clear thoughts and actions, muscles having the oxygen they need to perform, more endurance to last during the altercation, and the energy flow that accompanies breathing to make your techniques more effective.

 

8.      Stay focused

When you are focused and not distracted you will be more effective at sparring.  Stay present to the task at hand – nothing else should matter when sparring.  We live in a society where staying focused is harder and harder, but your life may depend on it.  Review the blog Training The Mind by Staying Focused from September 2017 for more details on ways to train to stay focused.

It is easy to think you are effective when practicing by yourself or against air.  The real test is when you practice with an opponent.  The more you can practice in a dynamic situation with partners, the more effective you will be.

 

Regards,

Kelly

“One whose spirit and mental strength have been strengthened by sparring with a never-say-die attitude should find no challenge too great to handle. One who has undergone long years of physical pain and mental agony to learn one punch, one kick, should be able to face any task, no matter how difficult, and carry it through to the end. A person like this can truly be said to have learned karate.”  ~  Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), founder of Shotokan Karate

How Martial Arts Supports Brain Function --- Chief Instructor's Blog October 2024

 

Practicing martial arts can actually support and even boost our brain function.  The physical techniques we practice on a regular basis helped integrate the right and left hemispheres of our brain.  “The cooperation between our two brain hemispheres is essential for us to learn better, function more intelligently, and become proficient in anything.” [Ref. 1]

I will describe the various movements that forces both hemispheres of the brain to communicate which increases the use of those neural pathways which in turn improves our brain functions.  And note that some of the examples I list below could be in several categories.

1.      Cross-lateral Movements

Cross-lateral movements are working both sides of the body at the same time with alternating patterns.  Basic techniques in attack stance and side medium block are examples of cross-lateral movement.

2.      Crossing mid-line

Crossing the midline is any movement where a part of your body (i.e., hands, feet, arm, leg, etc.) crosses the mid-line of the body.  Basic cat stance, high block, low block, double knife hands across the body, augmented medium block, extended knife hand, hook punch, downward or upward ‘X’ block, crescent kick across the body, cross block are all examples of techniques we practice that cross the mid-line.  In fact, if you analyze Mepojan One, almost every technique crosses the mid-line.

3.      Asymmetrical or mismatched movements

Asymmetrical movements are when your limbs perform different movements at the same time.  “This could be the legs, or arms, or three limbs, or four limbs simultaneously moving differently in shape, motion and pace to the other.” [Ref. 2] Examples of this are combination medium block/ high block to side of the head, combination low block/medium block, knife hand high block/ knife hand strike, combination outward hammer fist / hook punch to name just a few.

4.      Variations

When combining something familiar with something not as familiar we are forcing the connection.  “The left brain is better with familiar movements, but the right brain is better with new things, so by combining familiar and new you are encouraging your hemispheres to cooperate.” [Ref. 1].  Mirroring hyung, different stances with different upper body techniques that are not the basics, altering the hyung with different combinations are all examples of variations.

Therefore, the more we practice martial arts, the more we are increasing the communication across our brain hemispheres which will improve our brain function.  “This increased communication has been linked to improvements in a wide range of cognitive functions, including memory, attention, and creativity.” [Ref. 3]

Regards,

Kelly

“Learning a technique is not the end in itself, it merely indicates where you need to start.” ~ Masaaki Hatsumi (1931 – present), founder of the Bujinkan Organization

 

References:

1.      https://sequencewiz.org/2014/08/13/integrating-right-and-left-brain/, accessed 9/2/12024

2.      Cross Lateral Movements in Tai Chi and Qigong Practice (earthbalance-taichi.com), accessed 9/21/24

3.      Cross-Lateral Exercises: The Science Behind their Brain Boosting Benefits (wyllowfranklin.ca), accessed 9/21/24