Audio
Mon, 2009-08-17 06:00
Richard Barnes is back! Those of you who have been following the podcasts from the very beginning will remember that the first podcast was an interview with myself conducted by Richard Barnes. Over 80,000 podcast downloads later and Richard is back!
In this light-hearted podcast, Richard and I discuss my own personal journey through the martial arts; from my very first class to the current
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Fri, 2009-07-17 06:00
In this latest podcast we discuss karate styles! Whilst the styles handed down to us are of great value, in this podcast I suggest that if too much emphasis is placed on “style” it can be extremely harmful to karate and its combative efficiency. The podcast begins by looking at what some of the past masters had to say about the notion of style, and then moves on to examine the
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Wed, 2009-05-13 06:00
Sorry there was no podcast in February. All my time was taken up getting the latest issue of Jissen (free online practical martial arts magazine) ready for download. That issue was our most popular yet and we’re now back with a brand new podcast!
This month we discuss the always controversial subject of “weapon defence”. The podcast begins by looking at the nature of karate
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Mon, 2009-04-20 06:00
April’s podcasts sees us discuss mind training! There are lots of differing ways in which people can approach mind training. Not all are too my tastes and I have to be honest and say I’m not that great a fan of some of the more “esoteric” approaches. I am with Gichin Funakoshi that the strengthening of the mind is achieved, not through any flowery / “new-age
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Fri, 2009-01-09 07:00
In the first podcast of 2009 we will be discussing my views on the history and applications of Chinto / Gankaku kata. This includes a discussion on the kata’s history and the key aspects of its application. The history of the kata has not been definitively established, but it is widely thought that Sokon “Bushi” Matsumura created this kata following a period of instruction
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Wed, 2008-12-03 07:00
This month we will be covering the history and evolution of modern boxing. In particular we will be focusing on the life and times of James Figg (1695 – 1734); who is regarded as the father of modern boxing. As we will see, the boxing that Figg practised and taught was quite different from the boxing of today. Old style boxing included punching, kicking, grappling, throwing, weapons, etc
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Mon, 2008-11-10 07:00
Kushanku kata (also known as ‘Kanku-Dai’ and ‘Kosokun’) is one of the most popular forms in modern karate. It is a physically demanding and visually impressive form (when performed correctly) and it has a great deal to offer the practically minded karateka. In this podcast we will look at the history of the kata and examine some of the key concepts relating to its
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Wed, 2008-10-01 06:00
Would you believe it’s been a full two years since our first podcast! Thanks to everyone for your continued support of them! This month we are discussing the basics of power generation and the use of impact equipment. Being able to strike hard is without a doubt the most important skill needed for the combative side of self-protection. Karate is an art based on the “one blow, one
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Wed, 2008-10-01 06:00
Would you believe it’s been a full two years since our first podcast! Thanks to everyone for your continued support of them! This month we are discussing the basics of power generation and the use of impact equipment. Being able to strike hard is without a doubt the most important skill needed for the combative side of self-protection. Karate is an art based on the “one blow, one
...more
Fri, 2008-09-05 06:00
This month’s podcast sees us continue our discussion on kata-based-sparring (KBS). Last month we covered the broad principles of KBS and established how it relates to kata and fits into karate as a whole. This month’s podcast moves on and covers the structure of KBS and looks at some specific KBS drills. This podcast is divided into two sections. The first part covers the key ideas
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