Dojo Kun - literal translation means "training hall rules". There are five main rules that serve as guiding principles for all who train in the dojo. Although they are usually listed in a set order, no one rule is more important than any other. To emphasise this all five are prefixed with hitotsu and end with koto, which together means "one point".

Dojo Kun - literal translation means "training hall rules". There are five main rules that serve as guiding principles for all who train in the dojo. Although they are usually listed in a set order, no one rule is more important than any other. To emphasise this all five are prefixed with hitotsu and end with koto, which together means "one point".

I came across this blog while surfing the net. I thought it was worth re-publishing here. For more info go to http://timbrucejiujitsu.blogspot.com

  After a crazy weekend at the movement Jam in Auckland, I am painstakingly putting together the very first ever episode of my hitch hiking documentary. Three days of running, leaping, vaulting and flipping around Auckland (ok ok I was behind the camera mostly) with guys from all over the country has been a great way to get to know not just the style but the people who practise it. Anyone can get a wikipidia definition of a style but only by meeting the people can you truly get a sense of what it is about (because the people who practise make the style).  

So week three has finally come and gone and a pattern in my training has emerged. I seem to have a fear of commitment (way too many jokes come to mind....ok ok just one “that’s what she said”). You see in parkour a lot of the movements are designed to continue your momentum. So that as you approach the obstacle the vault movement is nothing more than the next step from your last. The timing, distancing from each step doesn’t change this means slower you go the harder it is to achieve correct technique.

This is just a short blog that really will probably be ignored, but it comes with a question at the end.I've been lacking in training lately, and so to try and get everything back into order, I've started doing stance training, particularly my Horse Stance.  Now, I've been put back quite a bit, I used to be able to hold one for up to two to th

This is another article I found which I thought was interesting and relevant. It is by Paul M. Jerard Jr.At first glance, Martial Arts and Yoga seem like opposing forces and philosophies, but these two health maintenance systems have more in common than meets the eye. For a moment, consider the similarities between Tai Chi and Hatha Yoga. Within the warm up, you notice very similar movement, philosophy, and principles.

by Master Alan Zuckerman When a man over 40 begins martial arts workouts they should have a special name: Kung Old Fool, Tae Kwon Old, Health Care-a-te or Senior Do. If anyone asks about my health I usually reply, "I'm aging too fast to get in shape." I found martial arts while in my forties. Random events carried me to the gym of my future instructor, Grandmaster Byung Min Kim. The first event occurred while I was having dinner with an old friend. He revealed that he had studied martial arts since he was a boy and had earned a black belt in tae kwon do. My son was young at the time, and I considered the benefit for him of studying some form of martial arts. Finally, I met the Master of my future school. I work as a retail real estate broker, and happened to offer a store to Grandmaster Kim. I didn't close that sale, but fortunately he sold me on tae kwon do. The expectations of an adult male, no matter how old, when they begin martial arts instruction is the same as a child's. You wistfully remember David Caradine, James Bond, Bruce Lee or Napoleon Solo in any of the popular movies and television shows of the 1950's and 60's. I yearned to be deadly...and great looking!

By: Sensei J. Richard Kikrham B.Sc. I'm so proud of the fact that I have no ego. It truly makes me the most humble person I've ever met. Regardless of whether we admit it or not, we all have an ego. It's what we do with that ego and how we demonstrate it among our martial arts peers and students which determine how good and what type of instructor we are... With over 36 years of martial arts experience I've seen a lot of different types of martial arts and self-defense instructors. They all, including myself, have their weaknesses and strengths... In Here I Am God Granted some ego, i.e. self-confidence, is needed in order to teach, but there are those who teach for themselves and those who teach for their students. In the few cases I've seen the god complex in a martial arts or self-defense instructor, it's generally been for the instructor. Even one very good combat veteran martial arts instructor whom I personally knew, seemed to teach for himself. Let's not confuse this with a military manner of teaching martial arts. The word martial after all means war and many of the martial arts taught have or had a military basis at some point in history. His students had a lot of self-confidence, but they also, I unfortunately noted when I asked a newly ranked advanced student his name, had his ego and pride as well. This, in my opinion is unfortunate since a martial arts instructor can, by example, offer so many positive traits to his/her students. If you're looking for a martial arts school or self-defense school, watch some classes and remember the above comments I made. Talk to the instructor, but talk to the students as well. Go with your gut as well as your cognitive processes.

Tuesday Systema – Loren broke out the training knives. First we all stood in a circle throwing the knife quite sweetly to each other – have to catch it safely – one hand, two, or against the body in some way. This ramped up somewhat, then we added a second knife to the mix. Then a third. Knives flying everywhere, hilario