This new podcast is a workout! The actual training takes just over fifteen mins and it a mix of conditioning exercises and martial motions. It is ideal for days where you are short on time and want to train in a way that stimulates technique, endurance, strength, and mind-set. It consists of thirty seconds of a given exercise, technique or martial combination, followed by 10 seconds of rest.
WARNING: 
This isn’t an Iain Abernethy podcast … but it is a podcast featuring yours truly! Just before Christmas I was on the Karate Café Podcast (check it out!) and we had an enjoyable and wide ranging discussion! The folks at Karate Café have kindly let me share it here too and I hope you enjoy it!
One of the biggest problems I see when it comes to modern self-protection is the failure to understand just what we are protecting ourselves against. If we don’t understand the question, there is no way that we can give an adequate answer.
This month’s podcast is a mix of topics! The first part examines the nature of kata, and many of the misunderstandings surrounding kata, using the following quotation from Gichin Funakoshi as a jumping off point:
In this new podcast we cover martial virtues and warrior ethics! The podcast begins by discussing character development in the martial arts and how that relates to effective combat skills. We then move on to cover martial virtues and warrior ethics as found in the writings of the past masters and others. We also look at the relationship between virtue and valour, and show how virtue is not passively adhering to a tick list of prohibited actions, but instead requires critical thought, bravery and positive action.
Welcome to one of the longest podcasts we’ve ever done! It’s been a while since I last turned the podcast over to listeners and asked for questions and topics; so in this one I put that right! I asked for questions via Facebook, Twitter and the newsletters and got way more than I could possibly answer! Thanks to all who contributed!
In this podcast we discuss basic kihon training. For practitioners of arts other than karate, “kihon” generally refers to the practice of techniques without a partner or equipment. Typically it’s done in lines where the karateka goes up and down the room.
Put on your horned-helmets and pick up your battle axes … it’s time to look at self-protection: Viking Style!
If you’ve been in the martial arts for more than five minutes you can help but be struck by the vast number of animal names associated with techniques and styles. We have cat stance, horse stance, the anaconda choke, gator rolls, white crane kung fu, “crane on a rock” (Gankaku kata), Enpi (Japanese for the Swallow), and so on.