We need a higher standard of debate in the martial arts. We really do. Over the last few weeks I’ve seen numerous examples of poor quality, ego-fuelled “debates” where logic and objectivity (and good manners and integrity) are thrown to one side. To my mind, if people understand “The Martial Map” and “The Training Matrix” then they can see just how irrelevant 99% of martial internet debates are. In this video I want to return to “The Training Matrix” specifically, as that seems most relevant to the examples that prompted me to make this video.

In this video I discuss a few of Itosu’s 10 Precepts and the impact they should have on karate today. This vitally important document was written in 1908 by one of the most influential karate masters there has ever been.

Itosu tells us karate does NOT have a religious foundation; that karate is for non-consensual violence; that we should not only train for “self”-defence, but also train to protect loved ones; that we should practise karate as individuals; and more!

In this video I discuss the idea of “telegraphing” as it relates to both fighting (consensual violence) and self-defence (non-consensual violence). As we have discussed in other recent videos, most martial artists fail to differentiate between the two and falsely assume that what is of great importance in one context must be of equal importance in the other.

Telegraphing is when we provide a recognisable cue to an opponent which enables them to react and negate the technique. Telegraphing being a problem is therefore predicated on two key points:

This short video was filmed at a recent dojo session. At this session we were working the lead hand hook, and various ways of negating the enemy’s possible reactions to that strike. While discussing ways to strip a flinch / cower, we looked at how we could use “lower block” (gedan barai) to create an opening and then use the same action to take the enemy to the floor. These bits of footage were filmed during that part of the class. The video is not a compete summation of all we covered, and it is not intended to be instructional in nature. I nevertheless hope you find it interesting.