To paraphrase the famous quote, rumors of NAUKA's death have been greatly exagerated. I am still a member, and the 30 odd blackbelts who tested in June are still members.

Peace
Robb in Sacramento

Dana, Rick, et al., Under the heading good intentions…The sponsors of the self defense class told me on the day of the class that there had been a problem, and the class had not gotten scheduled, but, they have high hopes of doing it sometime in the future. So, I was all dressed up, with no place to...

Bill, For an east coast guy you did a nice job, but you missed a couple: George Sitton, who also teaches at the Garden Grove Dojo, and Joe Graziano. With Joe, you get a student of Walter Mattson and Master Gushi (that's Joe on the conditioning tape) and a chance to train in kobudo as well. I had the...

Dana: I had just finished agreeing to do a one-hour self defense class for a group of office workers next week, when the chilling realization that I teach Uechi and not self defense, and that I hadn't taught a self defense class since my days of teaching at the YWCA in the 70s set in. Fortunately, t...

Van: Unfortunately, my time with Master Nishiyama was limited to an all too brief seminar that convinced me he was teaching San Chin. But, as fate would have it, I was introduced to the makiwara by my Shotokan instructors. Mr. Warner, who taught me the Heians, Tekkis and Bassai, and Mr. Fogg who tau...

Dana & Bruce: Thank you both. Your perspectives on training enrich my appreciation for this art we love. The tennis ball idea sounds like a great way to build hand eye coordination. I believe that Benny Urquidez was once quoted in a martial arts magazine as having used a drill involving a play g...

Dana: Excellent question, and Bruce offers excellent advice. I believe Funakoshi observed that karate without hitting something was a good exercise, implying that without makawara training one's practice was limited. I use the makawara, heavy bag, speed bag, and shields. Funakoshi also cautioned, as...

Perhaps it's just Americans who struggle with this question, but does size matter? In kumites and bunkai is what I'm asking about. This art we practice comes from a fairly homogeneous culture where one's stature does not seem to fluctuate greatly (yes, with a few notable exceptions). So, when we in ...

Ms. Sheets: OOPS!! Boy am I sorry. My brain was on pause. I did read, but did not pay attention to your initial premise. Uechi is a system for men. Are you sure? Now, if you tell me it's a system for right handed people, I will agree. If you tell me it's not the greatest for folks over six feet, I'm...

Ms. Sheets: I'm not sure that Mr. Blauer would find any system of traditional karate to be effective in a real fight. I don't think there is a gender distinction in that belief. That said, and at the risk of unleashing a torrent of comment about how karate is just not real and won't prepare one for ...

Van: I don't recall a discussion on compression force, but hip rotation is a key in Shotokan. How would I change my training? I'm certain the experience has already changed my training, just as the experience of camp and the time with my teacher did. But, if I had to pick one area, it would be in th...

Van: Taking your last questions first, it was so much like Sanchin...well, that's what inspired the post. The kime, the thrust, the power transfer, it was all sanchin. Now, the breathing. I didn't get a chance to demonstrate. As I understood the concept though, Master Nishiyama was trying to explain...

Van: Master Nishiyama spent a bit of time demonstrating and discussing breathing. What struck me was the circular breathing, the focus on taking the breath low, the use of the breath to achieve focus, and a coordination of breathing and movement. While we never did a kata called Sanchin, we practice...

Under the label of true confessions, I'm Robb, and I love shotokan. OK, this may be a bit strange for a person who has trained in Uechi for a couple of years, but the fact of the matter is that I find the teachings of Funakoshi and his senior students to be insightful and helpful in my karate. So, a...

George: Thanks for the plug. We are fortunate to have the services a very capable computer pro in Jim Wang who put the site together, and made the video. Thanks also to Will, Danny, and Mike for agreeing to take their kata public. The kumite that Will and I do on the site was developed by Charles Ea...