Welcome to this special cross cover podcast with myself and Wim Demeere! As some of you will know, I was a guest on Wim’s podcast a few months ago. I’m a big fan of Wim’s work and I was keen to get him back on my own podcast. We chatted through the options and thought it may be fun to do a crossover podcast with questions from listeners! Thanks to everyone who submitted them!

While both Wim and I share a strong practical bias, I have a background in traditional Japanese / Okinawan systems and Wim has a background in traditional Chinese systems. It was our hope that our respective viewpoints would make for an interesting discussion … and I think it did! Lots of good information in this podcast!

Topics covered include:

• Differences in Chinese and Japanese forms.

• Comparing internal and external systems.

• Ensuring actions in self-defence are both effective and legal i.e. use “reasonable force”.

• How to remain healthy when training hard and aging.

• Weight training for the martial artist.

• What principle-based training means to us, our teaching and our personal practise.

• Red flags when seeking instruction.

• Who do Wim and I seek to emulate.

• The links between karate and kung-fu.

• How we feel about the sporting offshoots from our respective systems (sparring and forms).

• If Wim and I had to start again and study another martial art, what would it be and why.

• And more too!

This was a fun conversation that you will be able to find in both my podcast feed and Wim’s (http://www.wimsblog.com/category/podcast/). Enjoy!

All the best,

Iain