Archive for the ‘Philosophy’ Category
Black Belt is Not Important But it Means Everything!
Posted by Linden in Philosophy on October 8th, 2009
Recently, we had two karateka pass 3rd kyu (brown belt) and I said to them,
'Congratulations on passing your brown belt, you are well on your way to black belt. Now your karate gets easier but it is harder and black belt is not important but it means everything!'
Many questions and emails later I decided to write this article, hopefully this will explain better, the point I was trying to get accross.
For a beginner to shotokan karate, it is all very confusing, both arms moving together as in gedan barai (downward block), one linear in movement and one circular, then both arms stopping at the same time, but one traveling more distance than the other, for someone new to karate, this alone, is a challenging exercise.
What Does Black Belt Mean To You?
Posted by Linden in General, Philosophy, Teaching, Tips & Techniques on July 2nd, 2009
For as long as I can remember, I have loved the martial arts.
I can remember being a small child and watching the TV series 'Kung Fu' starring the late David Carradine as Quai Chang Caine.
I remember the philosophy contained in the series having a huge impact on my young mind and I truly believe this incredible series shaped my thoughts and beliefs, not just in karate, but in life. I know it's a bold statement to make, but I really do believe it.
In our materialistic world, people respect power, beauty and money and this to me is very sad. But saying that, I would like a lot more of all three!