Martial Arts « GaijinPot Blog Network: Japan’s best blogs

Martial Arts

Choosing a martial art that’s best for you: factors to consider: August 31st, 2009By Chuck Johnson; As a martial artist for over 16 years, a lot of people have come to me asking me what martial system is best for them, and invariably, my answer has always been the same. “It depends. ” By and large, asking which martial art is the best is like asking, which car is the best: the » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

The History of Breakdancing… in Capoeira?: August 31st, 2009By Chuck Johnson; While training in Capoeira recently, I’d been trying to master a technique called ‘ Queda de Rins ‘ or in English, “Kidney-drop”. To execute the movement one must let their bodyweight ‘drop’ onto their elbow (which in turn braces against the kidneys) while balancing on the hands. In doing it as well as in practicing » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Interview with Christian Tissier Shihan, 7th dan Aikikai: August 17th, 2009By Guillaume Erard; Christian Tissier Shihan is an Aikido instructor who holds the rank of 7th dan Aikikai. He spent over 7 years training daily at the Aikido World Headquarters in the 70’s and was the very first foreigner to have reached such a distinction (Shihan rank were reserved, until then, to Japanese instructors). » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

The necessity of critical thinking in Martial Arts: August 11th, 2009By Guillaume Erard; As a scientist, I have often encountered teachers who considered the epistemological approach as an aberration in the study of a Budo, sometimes even like an insult directed towards their work or their own persona. Today, I would like to discuss the benefits there are in studying a Japanese martial » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

How to win through losing: August 7th, 2009By Chuck Johnson; Not too long ago, I started shootboxing training. Even though it’s a relatively unfamiliar arena with a different rule system than what I am used to, it’s interesting to see how I can adapt what I know to this particular combat situation, and I can still fight with a fair degree of confidence. The funny thing » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Introduction to the Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu, the roots of Aikido: August 7th, 2009By Guillaume Erard; The more I spend time in Tokyo practicing at the Aikikai, the more I realize that the world of Aikido is indeed very small. The beauty of this is that it is during random encounters and acquaintances that we make the most crucial experiences for our personal development. Such an acquaintance » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Why Budo is not supposed to work in real fights: August 3rd, 2009By Guillaume Erard; Please accept my apologizes for the voluntarily provocative title but I think it sums up well what a little research on the word Budo can teach you. The word Budo is now ubiquitous in the popular culture and it is safe to say that along with sushi, karaoke, bonsai and manga, » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

A gaijin’s first Aikido practice at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo: July 30th, 2009By Guillaume Erard; Practicing at the World headquarters of the Aikikai foundation is a dream shared by many foreign Aikidoka. In my case, I had to wait for nearly 13 years to see this dream fulfilled. I would like to share this experience and perhaps encourage fellow martial artists to do the same. » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

The Art and the Science of Action Directing: Interview with Yuji Shimomura: July 27th, 2009By Chuck Johnson; What is an action director? There’s a lot of different titles for people who are responsible for creating a fight scene; the action director, the stunt coordinator, the fight coordinator, etc, so it’s easy to get confused. An action director is like the overseer. They are the ones who have to think about the drama » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Movements as equations: how not to get kicked in the head: June 23rd, 2009By Chuck Johnson; While training in Korea, I once heard a former member of the Canadian national Taekwondo team, describe Taekwondo ring fighting as nothing more than a system of equations: your opponent moves this way(”A), and you simply have to respond that way (”+ B”) to get the result you want (”C”). At the » Continue Reading; CommentsComments