Sunday, December 11 2011
Sunday, December 11 2011. Karate › Philosophy
I admit that this article will be somewhat controversial, but there have been many discussions on the subject over many years of the existence of the oriental martial arts in the occident. My other article entitled "Karate Do : A Sport or an Art" touched briefly on this subject, and I guess my readers could deduce that my own view is that grades are a necessary evil in some circumstances, but otherwise are mostly meaningless.
Monday, June 27 2011
Monday, June 27 2011. Karate › Philosophy
In the martial arts, there is a word "sensei", which means "teacher", or more abstractly "instructor", and literally meaning "one who was born before". However, there is more to the word than simply the translation. When we look at profiles and/or websites of martial arts practitioners, who just happen to be instructors as well, very often we see reference to the the term "sensei" when the individual is referring to himself or herself.
Thursday, June 23 2011
Thursday, June 23 2011. Karate › Philosophy
Let me start off by saying that this article expresses my own views and philosophy, and while some readers may agree, others may have completely opposing views. That is fine, and everyone is entitled to their own philosophies.
The martial arts attract a very large following, with practitioners from every walk of life. Indeed there are literally hundreds of different disciplines under the umbrella of "martial arts", and equally dozens or even hundreds of different styles within each discipline. Because of the sheer number of different disciplines and styles, and their associated philosophies, there is often a great deal of confusion concerning such questions like "what is the right or wrong way", or "which organisation should I associate with to ensure the widest recognition?". However, the very fact that one asks these questions, in my opinion, undermines the very point of martial arts in the first place, and contributes to the ongoing political battles that are fought out between rival organisations.
